Jacob Bradley

Autism Light #313 is Jacob Bradley.



Jacob Bradley is an 11 year old student in the 6th grade who has autism. He lives in Mendon, Vermont with his parents Jeffrey and Jeanne Bradley and sisters Hope and Jillian. Besides autism, Jacob has a congenital heart disease. Jacob's influence can be summed up in the shirt he is wearing above that says, "Not being able to speak is not the same as not having anything to say." Jacob Bradley is an Autism Light for his amazing efforts to be a self-advocate for autism.

Jacob loves Mustangs and has a nickname of "Mustang Jacob". For hobbies Mustang Jacob enjoys skiing and swimming. Jacob participates inclusively in his school and community.

The following is a YouTube video of Jacob sharing his goals with assisted communication.

 Jacob's mother Jeanne Bradley says,

It is quite amazing how much we can communicate without talking. Jacob is able to show us over and over again his wants and needs through total communication. Jacob communicates all the time. He does so by using ASL sign, typing, pointing, gestures, point to boards and voice approximations (Jeanne Downey Bradley, Celebrating the Autism Spectrum). 

Here are some samples of various assignments that Jacob did for his 6th grade class.

1. The following is part of a message Jacob communicated as an introduction to his 6th grade class.

My name is Jacob Bradley and I believe in opportunity for all people regardless of how they communicate. I am an eleven year old boy who lives in my favorite green mountain treat of a state called Vermont. I said a long time ago that I would not only be an real student in a school that supports me but also a self advocate for those lost in segregated settings echoing the dreaded lives of people in the world that are like me without the right supports (11 Year Old Jacob on the Right Thing to Do, Ollibean).

2. Jacob wrote this for a class assignment to rewrite the preamble to the Constitution of the United States to reflect goals for the class.

We the students of Mrs. Gallagher's class, in order to form a more perfect in the classroom society in which we are all equal, ensure a classroom that welcomes all pupils regardless of differences, provide kind of fun thinking environment that celebrates individuality, promote greatness among it's students, and secure justice so that dearly all people have a voice. Do ordain and establish this constitution for the love dearly in our hearts for one another (Shared in a letter by Jeanne Bradley).

On September 27, 2013, Jacob attended an activity called the Human Library at Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont led by Dr. Linda Peplar. After his experience there, Jacob said, "Mom I think the session at Castleton State College greatly gave me hope in that all people are part of the human race. We need to greatly see to it the entire human race of dear fellow autistics are given this opportunity to express their feelings and strive to live moments of greatness in popular campuses across the world."

Special thanks to Jacob Bradley for being a self-advocate for autism. We wish Jacob all the best in his bright future and expect to be hearing further things from him in the years ahead. If you wish to follow more current developments in Jacob's life check out his mother Jeanne Bradley's blog on their family called Help Me With My Legacy. 

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
The photo of Jacob Bradley is used with permission of Jeanne Bradley.

Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher

Autism Lights #217 are Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher.

  

Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thrasher are from Central Vermont. They both have autism.  They were two of the first people with autism in the State of Vermont to communicate effectively by typing. They are autism advocates who starred in the 2012 Documentary Wretches & Jabberers. Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thrasher are Autism Lights because of their efforts in autism advocacy to show the world the intelligence of nonverbal individuals who have autism.

Documentary: Gerardine Wurzburg was the Director of the Documentary Wretches & Jabberers which follows the journey of Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thrasher around the State of Vermont and to visit their friends and fellow autism advocates Chammi in Sri Lanka, Naoki Higashida in Japan, and Henna and Antti in Finland. Assisted by their supporters Pascal Cheng and Harvey Lavoy, Larry and Tracy also were able to travel in this advocacy project and along the way to also speak at autism conferences in Japan and Finland. Here is the trailer to Wretches & Jabberers. 

Larry Bissonnette: Larry Bissonnette is an artist and advocate from Milton, Vermont. He learned to communicate with others by typing at age 34 in 1991.  In the Documentary he says some profound things such as, "Autism is not abnormality of brain, but abnormality of experience."  His website shares this tribute about Larry Bissonnette's skill as an artist.

His work is in the permanent collection of the Musée de l'Art Brut, Lausanne, Switzerland and in many private collections. His work was most recently featured in the Hobart William and Smith Disability and the Arts Festival in April, 2010. He is both the subject and writer of an award winning film about his life, called, My Classic Life as an Artist: A Portrait of Larry Bissonnette (2005) (Source).

Be sure and check out Larry's blog.

Tracy Thresher: Tracy Thresher is an autism advocate from Barre, Vermont. He learned to communicate with others by typing at age 23 in 1990. In the Documentary he is shown visiting a Vermont State Senator. Tracy says some profound things in the film such as, "We are the perfect example of intelligence working out itself in a different way." His website shares this tribute about Tracy Thresher's work as an autism advocate.

He has presented at local, statewide, and national workshops and conferences. He has consulted with local schools, is a member of the Vermont Statewide Standing Committee and has worked for the Green Mountain Self-Advocates in Montpelier, Vermont. In Vermont, he mentors teenagers and adults. Most recently, Tracy has consulted at Syracuse University as a lead trainer (Source).

Be sure and check out Tracy's blog.

Movie Availability: The movie Wretches & Jabberers is available to watch on Demand services such as Hulu.com or Netflix on Demand.  It may also be purchased through iTunes or on DVD.

Social Media: You can follow Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher at the following social media pages for their Documentary.

• Twitter@JabberBoxdoc
• Facebook

Special thanks to Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher for being Autism Lights. Their expression and autism advocacy gives an important window into the intelligence of people with autism. Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher also hold the distinction of being the first Autism Lights from the State of Vermont.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.