Chelsea Stepp

Autism Light #330 is Chelsea Stepp.

Chelsea Stepp is a 21 year old pop singer and songwriter from Warfield, Kentucky. Chelsea's youngest sister Cammi has autism and she wrote the song Beautiful Blessing in her honor. Chelsea Stepp has been chosen as the first Autism Light for the year 2014, because of her dedication to her relationship with her sibling with autism and her amazing talent in music that is spreading autism awareness.

Here is an interview that Chelsea Stepp did about autism and her admiration for her sister Cammi as it relates to her song Beautiful Blessing.


Paper Airplane: Chelsea Stepp released her first music album on September 1, 2013 called Paper Airplane. Paper Airplanes includes 8 songs, including Beautiful Blessing.  You can purchase her album on iTunes or at Amazon.

Here is the song that Chelsea Stepp sings called Beautiful Blessing. It was inspired by her younger sister who has autism and cowrote with Britton Cameron. The refrain includes these words.

Beautiful blessing, beautiful curse
Things could be better, but things could be worse
Give me your heaven, give me your hurt
Beautiful blessing, beautiful curse

Two special comments and tributes to Chelsea Stepp's song came from autism mothers by way of social media.

• "Thank you for posting this song. My son is autistic and when he heard it he smiled and said, 'mom she understands me.'
• "I am crying as I write this. Thank you for putting into words what many don't understand (Autism Speaks, Kentucky Singer Overwhelmed by Autism Community's Response to Her Song) ." 

Website: To learn more about Chelsea Stepp visit her website at www.chelseastepp.com.

Social Media: You can follow Chelsea Stepp on the following social media areas.

• Twitter for Chelsea Stepp @Chealsea_Stepp
• Chelsea Stepp's YouTube Channel
• Facebook Page of Chelsea Stepp

If you enjoyed this post you may wish to read about the other Autism Lights with the label Siblings. These people share the special perspective in their story of having a sibling with autism.

Special thanks to Chelsea Stepp for being an Autism Light. Chelsea's music is a blessing to many and the doors her music opens to her for autism advocacy is an inspiration to the autism community.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Susan Boyle

Autism Light #329 is Susan Boyle.

Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle is a 52 year old singer from Scotland in the United Kingdom. Susan Boyle gained international fame on April 11, 2009, when she was a sensational success in her singing debut on Britain's Got Talent, where she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. After Susan Boyle's surprise debut performance, she went on to become a professional singer and actress. Her debut album was the fastest selling debut album of all time in the United Kingdom.

Susan Boyle revealed in December of 2013, that she had been diagnosed about a year ago with Asperger's Syndrome, a high functioning form of Autism. Susan Boyle is an Autism Light for how the sharing of her diagnosis of autism can help raise understanding and acceptance of autism by adding to the list of autism legends in the music field.

Here is the full clip of Susan Boyle's 2009 audition in Britains Got Talent. Notice how her amazing singing ability surprises everyone. This video version of that night has received over 141 million views on YouTube to date. I personally never tire of watching it again.
 

  Susan Boyle told the Guardian regarding her autism diagnosis, "I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong and I feel relieved and a bit more relaxed about myself (The Guardian, December 7, 2013)."

In an interview with the International Business Times, Susan Boyle also said, "Asperger's doesn't define me. It's a condition that I have to live with and work through, but I feel more relaxed about myself. People will have a much greater understanding of who I am and why I do the things I do (International Business Times, December 8, 2013)."

The National Autistic Society considers Susan Boyle an example of the 'invisible generation' of adults with autism that went undiagnosed for years (BBCNews Scotland, December 9, 2013).

The following is a news story from CNN about Susan Boyle being diagnosed with autism. 
   

The Huffington Post: The Huffington Post spotlighted Susan Boyle in their December 12, 2013 article about influential individuals with autism called These 8 People Will Change the Way You Think About Autism and Asperger's.

 

Movies: Susan Boyle has appeared in the following films.

• In 2009 Susan Boyle starred as herself in a television special called,  I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story. You can watch the complete version of that show here.

• Susan Boyle: An Unlikely Superstar is a documentary about Susan Boyle which was produced in 2011 by Firecracker Films. You can watch the documentary on YouTube at this link.
• Susan Boyle recently made her acting debut (where she wasn't appearing as herself) in The Christmas Candle (2013).

Music Albums: Susan Boyle's music is very popular in both the United Kingdom and the United States and has sold 14 million albums worldwide (International Business Times, December 8, 2013). Susan Boyle has produced the following music albums.

• I Dreamed a Dream (2009)
• The Gift (2010)
• Someone to Watch Over Me (2011)
• Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage (2012)
• Home for Christmas (2013)

Her album I Dreamed a Dream became the fastest selling debut album in the United Kingdom. In addition, to these albums fans in the United Kingdom can hear Susan Boyle when she holds a tour of concerts.

Author: In 2010 Susan Boyle wrote the book The Woman I Was Born to Be: My Story.

Christian Faith: Several of the songs that Susan Boyle has given to the world on her popular albums are about the Christian faith. Susan Boyle credits her Christian faith for helping her cope with grief when she lost her beloved mother Bridget in 2007. She said, "That's what keeps you going. I have my faith, which is the backbone of who I am, really."(Christianity Today, November 17, 2009).

Website: To keep informed of the latest developments with Susan Boyle visit her website at www.susanboylemusic.com or you can interact with other fans at the Susan Boyle Fansite.

 

Wikipedia: You can find out more about Susan Boyle's life on the Susan Boyle Wikipedia Page.

Social Media: You can follow Susan Boyle on the following social media areas. 

• Facebook Page for Susan Boyle
• Twitter for Susan Boyle @SusanBoyleHQ

Special thanks to Susan Boyle for being an Autism Light. We expect to continue to hear amazing things from her as she shares her gift of music and represents adults with Asperger's through her example and growth.

The photo of Susan Boyle in this post is in the Wikipedia Commons.

Louisiana Lights

The State of Louisiana is the home state of 4 Autism Lights. They include parents, and aunt, and a country music singer who wrote an autism awareness song.

 Louisiana Autism Lights

1. Will and Lisa Clark are autism parents from Louisiana. Will is a retired major league baseball player. Their son Trey has autism.
2. Geri Landry is an autism aunt from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Her nephew Joseph Sullivan has autism. She founded Autism Services of Southwest Louisiana. 
3. Mark Leland is a country music singer who wrote the autism song called "Missing Pieces". He is from West Monroe, Louisiana.
4. Vickie Nettles (1963-2014) is an autism mother from Lafayette, Louisiana who passed away in August of 2014.

You may reach all these posts by searching the blog through the "Louisiana" Label.

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The map of Louisiana is from the Wikipedia Commons.

Tennessee Lights

The State of Tennessee is the home state of 8 Autism Lights honored in 6 posts. Tennessee Autism Lights include two musicians, a golfer, a young man with autism, and a landmark.

 Tennessee Autism Lights

1. Belmont University Music Therapy Program is a undergraduate academic program that teaches students how to be professionals in music therapy and work with individual with autism. Belmont is located in Nashville, Tennessee. 
2. Graceland Mansion is the home of Elvis Presley and is a Landmark in Memphis, Tennessee that participates in the Light It Up Blue campaign for autism awareness.
3. Cynthia Joyner (1981-2013) is the Autism Mother from Chattanooga, Tennessee who died on July 20, 2013, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. She was a volunteer with the Chattanooga Autism Center.
4. Cliff Kresge is the Autism Father from Kingsport, Tennessee, who is a professional golfer. His son Mason has autism. 
5. Brian Schnelle is a man with autism from Nashville, Tennessee, who graduated college from Trevecca Nazarene University May 2019. 
6. Josh Turner is a star country music singer from Nashville, Tennessee, who let a man with autism named Logan Blade sing with him on stage at the Grand Ole' Opry. Both Josh Turner and Logan Blade were named Autism Lights in the same post.
7. Jaci Velasquez is a Christian and Latin Pop singer from Nashville, Tennessee. Her son Zealand has autism. 

You may reach all these posts by searching the blog through the "Tennessee" Label.

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The map of Tennessee is from the Wikipedia Commons.