A Champion of Change
July 29, 2013鈥擜s a White House Champion of Change, Lydia Brown (C鈥�15) recently spoke at a White House event commemorating the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Brown, an major, is one of only eight young people recognized for 鈥渢heir advocacy efforts, their innovative projects, and their embodiment of the spirit of ADA,鈥� according to the White House Office of Public Engagement. The U.S. National Council on Disability nominated Brown, whose work includes creating an online resource and advocacy website called the Autism Education Project and speaking at numerous disability conferences.
鈥淚 am humbled to receive this great honor,鈥� Brown said, 鈥渁nd hope that my work in the future will continue to reflect the values of translational social justice and equity for all.鈥�
Active in advocating for disability rights, Brown is a member of the board of directors of TASH New England, a disability rights organization; the National Council on Independent Living Youth Caucus; and the 鈥� Consumer Advisory Council.
鈥淟ydia has been an enthusiastic advocate for the inclusion of all students on our campus. Her dedication and vision have been inspiring,鈥� said Todd Olson, vice president of student affairs at Georgetown. 鈥淥ur Jesuit mission calls us to be women and men for others, and Lydia exemplifies this commitment on a daily basis.鈥�
This summer, she is interning at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia as part of the American Association of People with Disabilities summer internship program. She will return in the fall to the Washington, DC-based Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, where she has worked for a year and a half.
As the author of the blog, , Brown has been invited to speak at numerous conferences, including the Association on Higher Education and Disability annual conference, the Girl Scouts National Conference on Inclusion, and the Autism National Committee annual conference.
Brown鈥檚 advocacy work is wide-ranging. She lobbied members of the legislature in her native Massachusetts to propose a bill requiring that law enforcement officers learn about autism while she was still in high school.
鈥淚f a police officer were being sarcastic, I would not know,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd if the officer did not realize that I wasn鈥檛 picking up on the sarcasm, the officer would just think I was being defiant,鈥� she continued.
She is still hoping the Massachusetts legislation will become law, though it died this year in committee. She plans to re-file the bill in the 2013鈥�14 legislative session. 鈥淭his training, if done right, will teach officers appropriate de-escalation techniques for developmentally disabled people,鈥� Brown said.
According to Brown, officers who don鈥檛 receive such training have accidentally arrested, inappropriately restrained, or used Tasers on autistic people鈥攅xacerbating meltdowns and prompting lawsuits that end up hurting police departments financially.
鈥淏eing autistic gives me a different outlook on the world,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚 think it gives me a stronger sense of justice.鈥�
Related Information
Read more about Brown鈥檚 work on her blog, .