Our speakers today will help us understand what being neurodivergent means, how those who are have been treated and how they contribute, and how we can better include them in our group and in society.
Our featured speaker, Devin Flagg is a night owl. So, he asked if could record his talk for us to play because he would still be sleeping at 10:30 a.m. when we meet. We said yes. He is also neurodivergent, which makes it difficult for him to read a script for more than 10 minutes and he wouldn’t be able to help those of us who are neurotypical understand what it’s like being neurodivergent. So he recruited Julie McKibbins, an Assistant Manager at Fraser, to help him.
We’re delighted to share Devin’s amazing PowerPoint presentation with embedded videos of himself and Julie talking. Afterward, we will talk about what we heard and saw, and how we and our community can better include those who are neurodivergent.
Devin was referred to us by a staff member at Fraser, which is a certified community behavioral health clinic that specializes in providing services for those with mental, developmental, and/or behavioral disorders. They also provide classes and therapies that help the neurodivergent develop self-advocacy skills and better manage their disabilities, such as sensory sensitivities. They have clinics and satellites around the Twin Cities, a primary school in Richfield, and collaborate with several school districts.
Devin learned about Fraser through Julie, who he met while he was in high school and she worked at Opportunity Partners and introduced him to different careers and cultural activities. Fraser has helped him with self-advocacy and writing his first resume. Now he assists Fraser as a sensory consultant and helps develop sensory kits for those with sensory sensitivities and sends them to School District 917 and the Apple Valley police department. He also provides Julie McKibbins with updates about any developments that could aid Fraser in improving and expanding its services. Julie and another Fraser worker are helping him get a job, which is becoming increasingly impossible because many of the businesses that he applied to tend to view his sound sensitivities and Autism as liabilities they can't afford. (By the way, Devin excels in noticing small details and would make an excellent data analyst. If you know of an employer who would be open to possibly hiring him, please let us know.)
Video of Devin's Presentation is below.
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