Wednesday, September 25, 2019

An award for NICU nurses and more news


It's NICU Awareness Month, and if you want to show some love to a favorite NICU nurse, nominate her to win the Owl Give Award and she or he could score an all-expenses paid vacation. (Above is last year's winner, Ashley Grumbine.) The award is sponsored by the Jackson Chance Foundation, which was created by Carrie and Terry Meghie in honor of their son Jackson, who passed away at 10 months old after spending his entire young life in the NICU. The nonprofit partners with hospitals to provide complementary parking passes to families with babies in the NICU. Nominations are open until September 30.


This week The Cartoon Network launched a mentoring program for autistic animators and filmmakers to help them break into the industry, reports The Mighty. They've partnered with Exceptional Minds, a professional training academy and studio for people with autism. The 20 students in the pilot run of the program will get guidance from industry pros.


File under: WHAT?! When an elementary school student with autism in Washington needed a quiet place to work, his teacher put his desk in a bathroom that she supposedly claimed it was acceptable, as it was no longer in use. This teacher, the mom noted in the Facebook post where she shared the above photo, also provided a camping pillow and a mat for the bathroom floor. "My son was humiliated embarrassed and disgusted at this inhumane suggestion that he work in a bathroom," she said. Mind. Boggling.

In the New York City area? Bluelaces Theater Company, a group in Long Island City that creates sensory-immersive productions for individuals on the spectrum and other disabilities, has one coming up that will run October 18th to November 3rd. Tickets are on sale now.

If you haven't gotten enough of Kodi Lee, the talented singer who won American Idol and who happens to be blind and autistic, here's a compilation of all his performances on the series. His rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Water is the best thing that ever happened to that show.


Top image: Team Ryan Facebook page

2 comments:

  1. I'm guessing the deadline for the award is Sept. 30 not 31, might want to correct that :)
    Erica (the fellow Brandeisian)

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    Replies
    1. I've gotta stop blogging at 11:45 p.m.!!! Thanks, Erica.

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Thanks for sharing!