Self-Advocates and Civil Stakeholders

Our self-advocates and other civic stakeholders ensure that everything the Center undertakes is done with the engagement—the centering—of neurodiverse people, voices, lived experiences, and perspectives.

People

Programs

Impacts

Resources

Learn about the self-advocates and civil stakeholders who partner with us and who are present within our staff and leadership, to ensure the centering of neurodivergent individuals.

Learn about our programs that are led, managed, and run by self-advocates at the center.

Read about the impact that these programs and self-advocates have on the work of the center.

See all our resources for community partners and individuals interested in advocacy work.

Self-Advocate and Civil Stakeholder News

FCAI Partner TACT in Dedicated Episode of Mike Rowe’s New Show “People You Should Know”

May 27, 2025

We are so excited to share that TACT, one of our partner organizations, is featured in a dedicated episode of Mike Rowe’s new show, “People You Should Know.” Watching this episode will give you a tour around TACT’s new 19,000 sqft facility, introduce you to some of the many awesome students that TACT train, and…

NISE Fellow Hari Srinivasan Co-Authors Foreword with Temple Grandin in Autism for Dummies

May 25, 2025

We want to extend our deepest congratulations to Hari Srinivasan, one of our Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering (NISE) fellows. Hari co-authored the foreword for the new book Autism for Dummies with Temple Grandin. Hari’s section of the foreword is provided below, along with a link for those interested in buying the book. Congratulations again,…

Vanderbilt Magazine Article Tells Story of FCAI and Autism Research

May 24, 2025

We are thrilled to announce the release of an exciting article in Vanderbilt Magazine celebrating the groundbreaking work of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation! By highlighting our mission to empower neurodivergent and autistic individuals and spotlighting the dedication and passion of our director and staff, this article is a testament to the incredible…

Temple Grandin to Speak at Vanderbilt University – Register Now!

May 22, 2025

We are so excited to announce that the one and only Temple Grandin will be visiting Nashville on May 30th and speaking to an audience on Vanderbilt University Campus! Don’t miss your chance to come and hear from Temple herself in this event titled “Autism: The Way I See It” on May 30th, where Temple…

Autism Tennessee Announce Their 2025 Volunteer Open House

May 10, 2025

On Monday, May 24th, 2025, our partners, Autism Tennessee, will be hosting their 2025 volunteer Open House, where visitors will be able to connect with their programs, meet current volunteers and facilitators, and AutismTN staff to learn more about how to make them part of your volunteer journey in 2025! Event Details 🗓️ Date: May…

Autism Tennessee Present Online Workshop: Mastering Budgeting and Financial Planning Essentials

May 6, 2025

On Monday, May 19th, 2025, our partners, Autism Tennessee, will be hosting a training from their ACE’ing the Spectrum series, presented by Cornerstone: Financial Strategies Group. This training is “Mastering Budgeting and Financial Planning Essentials,” held online only via Zoom. It will cover basic concepts for financial empowerment and is intended for anyone starting to…

New Website by Neurodivergent Teen Launches to Support Aspiring College Students

April 23, 2025

We’re excited to share this amazing resource, created by high school student Ellie Rosenthal-Strisik, a passionate advocate, neurodivergent student, and friend of the College Autism Network and Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. Ellie created this resource for students like themselves–not for their parents, counselors, or coaches to then translate for students. We’re excited to…

Microsoft Neurodiversity Program Celebrates 10 Years with Best Practice Guide

April 20, 2025

Congratulations to the Microsoft team, which is celebrating 10 years of running the Microsoft Neurodiversity Program this Autism Awareness Month with a new guide. On April 15th, they launched their best practice guide, which “encapsulates a decade of insights from our program. These learnings have evolved into company-wide initiatives, and this guide aims to help…

NISE Fellow Hari Srinivasan and FCAI Fellow Dr. Tyler Derr Win Vanderbilt University Impact Awards

April 18, 2025

We want to Congratulate two members of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation family today, Dr. Tyler Derr and Hari Srinivasan. This week, Vanderbilt University acknowledged them with Impact Awards in the faculty and PhD student categories, respectively. Dr. Tyler Derr is a fellow of the Frist Center and an assistant professor of computer…

Free Nashville Movie Screening of Lost Potential: Unmasking the Autism Employment Crisis

April 17, 2025

We are excited to advertise a free viewing of the new documentary “Lost Potential: Unmasking the Autism Employment Crisis” in Nashville this month. This movie dives into a struggle many with autism face: gaining employment and remaining employed. Following the movie, there will be a panel discussion and open forum on the challenges faced by…