The Henry Ford

Autism Light #272 is The Henry Ford. 

The Henry Ford is a National Historical Landmark that was founded in 1929 in Dearborn, Michigan. It is the nation's "largest indoor-outdoor history museum" (Source). It includes a museum, Greenfield Village, Factory Tour, and IMAX all spread across 200 acres. 26 million artifacts are part of The Henry Ford. The Henry Ford has partnered with the Autism Alliance of Michigan to make it an easier experience for autism families to enjoy visiting The Henry Ford (Source). The Henry Ford is an Autism Light for their dedication to be inclusive in making their museum autism friendly.

The following is a video introducing what is offered at The Henry Ford.


Autism Alliance of Michigan:  The Henry Ford has established a partnership with the Autism Alliance of Michigan. The benefits of the partnership to autism include the following plans:

As part of the partnership, the Dearborn museum plans to include a link to pre-visit information on its website that describes environments and sensorial experiences to the families, provides varied dietary options, areas for noise reduction and other hospitality services. And the Autism Alliance will provide training in basic aspects of autism for Henry Ford staff members (Source).

The kickoff to this partnership between The Henry Ford and the Autism Alliance of Michigan will be on April 28, 2013, when Greenfield Village hosts "A Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine" (Source).

The Autism Alliance of Michigan plans to help provide ear plugs for exhibits such as the IMAX and help provide information on a schedule that can be used to for an individual with autism coming to visit The Henry Ford. Because of the partnership these resources will be on both The Henry Ford and the Autism Alliance's webpage. More information on this partnership can be found on The Henry Ford's Blog.

For More Information: Visit these websites for more information on The Henry Ford.

• Wikipedia Page
• Official Website - www.thehenryford.org

Social Media: You can follow The Henry Ford Museum on social media at the following areas.

• YouTube Channel
• Twitter @TheHenryFord
• Facebook
• Google+

Special thanks to The Henry Ford for making it easier for autism families to enjoy your historical treasures. Your partnership with the Autism Alliance of Michigan is a tremendous blessing for autism. Hopefully your outreach will encourage other historical sites to follow your example.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Graceland Mansion

Autism Light #212 is Graceland Mansion. 

Graceland Mansion was the home of the late Elvis Presley from 1957-1977.  Graceland became a National Historic Landmark on March 27, 2006 and is located in Memphis, Tennessee. Graceland Mansion is an Autism Light for their participation in the Autism Speaks Light It Up Blue Campaign for Autism Awareness in April.

Wikipedia describes Graceland as "a large white-columned mansion and 13.8-acre (5.6 ha) estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles (14.5 km) from Downtown and less than four miles (6 km) north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as a museum. It was opened to the public on June 7, 1982 (Source)."  It is the second most popular private residence in the United States for tours behind the White House. You can learn more about Graceland through their Wikipedia Page. 

Autism Mother's Crusade: Cindy Wynn-Brandon was instrumental in helping obtain Graceland's first year of involvement in the Light It Up Blue campaign in 2012. Cindy Wynn-Brandon has a 9 year old son named Noah who has autism. More on her story and involvement was featured on the Autism Speaks blog.

The Light It Up Blue Ceremony: Here is a video of the Graceland Mansion Light It Up Blue ceremony held on April 4, 2012, featuring Kerry Magro who was Autism Light # 119. Kerry Magro is doing a excellent job in his role of helping draw attention to landmarks who are going to Light It Up Blue for autism awareness.




For information on Graceland visit their website at http://www.elvis.com/graceland/.  Graceland also issued an online news release on their participation in the Light It Up Blue campaign.  
Special thanks to Graceland Mansion for their willingness to Light It Up Blue. Graceland Mansion holds two distinctions on the Autism Light blog. They are the first landmark participating in the Autism Speaks Light It Up Blue Campaign to be featured on Autism Light. Graceland Mansion is also the first Autism Light from the State of Tennessee.
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
Photo: The photo of Graceland Mansion is in the Creative Commons of Wikipedia and is attributed to Jan Kronsell.