Molly Pinney

Autism Light #197 is Molly Pinney.

Molly Pinney is a global shining light for autism. She is an ABA therapist in her early 30's who works with children with autism and should be on the list of amazing advocates for autism under age 40 (if there was one). She is also the Founder and CEO of the Global Autism Project and is having an influence on autism around the world.  Molly Pinney is an Autism Light because she knows no borders in her efforts to provide partnerships and communications for the cause of autism.

Molly Pinney founded the Global Autism Project in 2003 while living in Ghana and seeing the profound need for autism education. In Ghana she became known as "the lady who knew what autism was." The Global Autism Project is a 501c3 organization based in New York and has programs in the United States, Ghana, Kenya, India, and Peru. The mission of the Global Autism Project is to foster "a world where people with autism have access to services that enable them to reach their potential (Source)."  In order to help fund the efforts in 2005 she started the organization's signature fundraiser called "Paddles for Autism Awareness." You can read the full story of how Molly Pinney was led to start the Global Autism Project at this link.

Molly Pinney received her B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Neuroscience form Columbia University in 2009. She is a member of several professional associations focusing on autism and behavioral analysis, and serves on the advisory board of the Alzheimer's Action Foundation and City Year New York.

Social Media: You can follow the work of Molly Pinney and the Global Autism Project at the following social media areas.

• Facebook
• Twitter @GlobalAutism

Special thanks to Molly Pinney for being an Autism Light and working so hard to help those with autism around the world. The autism community in Ghana, Peru, India, Kenya, and the United States is blessed by your efforts. In fact, this post holds the distinction of the most international labels of any post on the Autism Light blog to date.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photo: The photo in this post is used with permission of Ariana Riccio, from the Global Autism Project. 

Juan Mann and Christopher Webster

Autism Lights #196 are Juan Mann and Christopher Webster.

Juan Mann founded the Free Hugs Social Movement in 2004 in Australia. Since then the practice of offering free hugs to strangers has spread to other great cities of the world, including San Antonio, Texas, where a young man with Asperger's named Christopher Webster has been involved in the campaign for six years. Free Hugs founder Juan Mann and participant Christopher Webster are Autism Lights because of the way the Free Hugs Social Movement brightens peoples day, including having changed Christopher's life by helping him leave his comfort zone in social reactions.

Christopher Webster provides an average of 22 free hugs on a typical Saturday at his post across from the Alamo Plaza in San Antonio, Texas. He holds a sign that says, "FREE HUGS" and has the opportunity to meet dozens of new people. The practice is out of the comfort zone for most people with Asperger's and the experience has had a profound impact on Christopher Webster's life. Since beginning the free hugs, Christopher has had life improvements, such as the determination to start taking college computer system courses (Source).

Christopher Webster said regarding his experience in the Free Hugs Campaign, "It was stepping out of my comfort zone. Once it started, it became natural. I do it to make the world a better place. One hug at a time (Source)."

Here is the official video of the Free Hugs Campaign, featuring Juan Mann. It's a video that has received over 72 million views on YouTube.

For more information on Christopher Webster involvement in the Free Hugs Campaign read these online articles. You can also see photos of Christopher Webster at these links.

• Autistic Man Offers Free Hugs
• Autistic Man Offers Free Hugs, Improves His World
• Man Leaves Comfort Zone to Hug Strangers

Special thanks to Juan Mann and Christopher Webster for sharing free hugs and making the world a brighter place for people. Never underestimate the power of a hug, especially when it comes from someone with autism.


Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.


Photo: The Photo in this post is in Wikipedia Commons and authorized for use by the author Miles Li.

Eustacia Cutler

Autism Light #195 is Eustacia Cutler. 

On this Mother’s Day we want to pay special tribute to one mother in particular:  Eustacia Cutler, the mother of Temple Grandin, known world wide for her ground breaking work in animal husbandry. Eustacia raised Temple in the 50’s when autistic children were diagnosed as “infant schizophrenics” and frequently were banished to institutions. Since raising Temple, Eustacia has devoted much of her life to helping all family members find the support they need to face the unique challenges of autism.

In 2010, British actress, Julia Ormond won an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Eustacia in the HBO docudrama Temple Grandin, and shortly afterward, at an autism conference in Los Angeles, she presented Eustacia with her Emmy. The following video captures the moment when Eustacia accepted Julia’s Emmy, saying it was a tribute for all mothers.

And here on this special Sunday Eustacia delivers her own tribute:

“Today is Mother’s Day. And today I salute all the long ago mothers who helped me raise Temple. In those days we had what we called the “Leave-it-to-Beaver Mom’s Union.”  Every child in the neighborhood knew that if he or she was doing something unacceptable one of the Mom’s Union was liable to open her window and yell, “I’m going to tell your mother.” When Temple heard that warning she knew she’d better shape up quick before the word reached home. Today this is called harassment and it’s not officially allowed, but my hope is that there’s still an unofficial Mom’s Union alive in every neighborhood. And to those Moms—as you lean out your window and scold, drive down roads chasing misbehavior—meet with other Moms to share the dark moments and the triumphs—I toast YOU!

A strong family is the linchpin—all through life. Some families have that strength, along with neighborhood support and maybe a little extra money. But what of those who don’t? Who live trapped in a neighborhood where there never will be a Mom’s Union? Exhausted parents adrift and broke, some of them hiding the dark stain of domestic abuse born of frustration and furious despair?

To honor the family linchpin Temple and I have set up The Temple Grandin/Eustacia Cutler Autism Fund dedicated to supporting and guiding all members of the family and the neighborhood organizations helping them.

The Temple Grandin/Eustacia Cutler Autim Fund will raise funds to:

1. Search out existing organization-based programs that guide and support all family members.  Replicate the best of these as “seed programs”, supply them with an operational manual and on-location coaching.
2. Establish a communicating network of organizations working together to strengthen family programs.

For more information go to our website. If you’d like to donate to our cause send it to:

The Temple Grandin/Eustacia Cutler Autism Fund 

c/o Families Together 

103 South Polk Street 

Moscow, Idaho 83843

In the meantime to all you Leave-it-to-Beaver Moms, thank you for helping me raise Temple and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY."

Our thanks to Eustacia Cutler for being an Autism Light, and for creating a special Mother's Day tribute for all autism mothers.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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For Related Information on the Autism Light Blog:  For more information on Eustacia Cutler's daughter, Dr. Temple Grandin read her post on this blog when she was named Autism Light #38. Also, if you liked this article you can search the label "Mother" and browse in chronological order all the stories of the mothers of children with autism who have been featured on Autism Light since the blog started.

Photos: The photo in this post was used with permission of Eustacia Cutler.

Scott Parks

Autism Light #194 is Scott Parks. 

Scott Parks is a special education teacher at Spanish Fort High School in the state of Alabama. In his daily work with students with autism he plays a critical role in two innovative programs for the students known as Project Reach and Project Outreach. Scott Parks is an Autism Light for his work as a special education teacher and his passion to help students with autism as well as their neuro-typical peers.

Project Reach: Eight students with severe autism in the Spanish Fort school system in Baldwin County, Alabama are presently in Project Reach. The program is led by special education teachers Scott Parks and Kristen Box along with the sufficient support of para-professionals.  Cutting edge technology like iPads are used to help students learn. According to Rener Havner-Phillips of the Press-Register in the program, "The autistic teens are learning job skills, including how to wash clothes, sort silverware, organize books and stock grocery shelves. They go on field trips to deliver mail at the school system's central office, to fold pizza boxes at Mellow Mushroom or to dust and vacuum at the Holiday Inn Express (Source)."

Project Outreach: Project Outreach, is an extra-curricular club led by Scott Parks, where neuro-typical students and students with autism spend time participating in various activities together. Project Outreach is an official club at Spanish Fort High School and has it's own page on the high school website. There are 112 members of Project Outreach this school year and it is the largest extra-curricular club at Spanish Fort High School (Source). The program helps impact the lives of the students with autism, but Project Outreach has also been especially meaningful to the neuro-typical students who are gaining a life-changing autism awareness through having a relationship with someone with autism.

The following is the news video of Scott Parks and another special education teacher named Kristen Box explaining how Project Outreach works at their high school.

Additional Information on Scott Parks and these autism programs at Spanish Fort High School are available at these online stories:

• Al.com
• Huffington Post

Special thanks to Scott Parks for being an Autism Light through his dedication as a special education teacher   that works with students with autism. Scott Parks is representative of the fine special education teachers in diverse areas of the world who have a passion to reach students with autism through whatever creativity and outreach is necessary. Scott Parks is also the first person from Alabama to be named an Autism Light.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.