Ruth C. Sullivan

Autism Light #155 is Ruth C. Sullivan.

Dr. Ruth C. Sullivan is an autism mother from Huntington, West Virginia. She and her husband William had 7 children, including a son Joseph who has autism. Ruth and her son Joseph have remained in Huntington to this day because of the important services that are in place for him that don't cross state lines. Born in 1924, Ruth is an autism pioneer who has spent over half of her long lifetime as an advocate and community organizer for autism needs. She was one of the founders of the Autism Society of America and served as its first President in 1965. Ruth C. Sullivan is an Autism Light because of her devotion as an autism mother and her dedication to help other families with autism.

Education: Ruth Sullivan earned her doctorate in psychology from Ohio University in 1984 in psychology, speech, and hearing science and special education. She also has degrees in public health nursing and public health administration.

The following is a video where Ruth Sullivan shares her experiences with receiving her son's autism diagnosis and her dreams for autism services and research.


Autism Society of America: Ruth Sullivan was one of the founders of the Autism Society of America (formerly called National Society for Autistic Children) and served as its first President in 1965. The Autism Society of America is the oldest grass roots organization in the autism community (Wikipedia: Autism Society of America). She continues to be an honorary board member of the organization.

Ruth Sullivan made key contributions to this 2009 video by the Autism Society of America called The Future of Autism.


Autism Services Center: Ruth Sullivan founded the Autism Services Center in Huntington, West Virginia in 1979 as a nonprofit behavioral health center. It serves Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Mason and Putnam counties in the state of West Virginia. She retired from the organization in 2007, at the age of 83 (Hilary Groutage, Herald-Dispatch, October 30, 2007).

West Virginia Autism Training Center: Ruth Sullivan helped form the West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University in Huntington. It has been her dream that every major university would one day have their own autism training center.

Rain Man Movie: Ruth Sullivan served as an autism consultant to the 1988 movie Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman. Her son Joseph was one of the individuals with autism that Dustin Hoffman studied in order to improve his role in the movie.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):  Ruth Sullivan was one of the lobbyists for Public Law No. 94-142, which became a United States law in 1975 and since 1990 has been called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA. It became the landmark law that guaranteed handicapped children with autism and other disabilities had the right to receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). The ramifications of this law continue to this day to be felt in important rights that parents and their children have when working with diverse public school systems around the country.

Temple Grandin: Ruth Sullivan was the first person to invite Temple Grandin (Autism Light #38) to speak in public about her autism. She also wrote the forward to Temple Grandin's book The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger's (2008)

Wikipedia: Visit the Ruth C. Sullivan Wikipedia page for more information on this Autism Light.

Special thanks to Dr. Ruth Sullivan for being an Autism Light. Her faithfulness as a mother and advocate has sent rays of hope for autism across the United States. May the example that Ruth Sullivan has provided inspire other mothers to carry forth the light to meet a new generation of autism needs.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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Special Note: Ruth Sullivan is the new Autism Light #155 replacing the numbered spot on the blog left vacant after the removal of Dr. Hans Asperger.

West Virginia Lights

The State of West Virginia is the home of 4 Autism Lights. The West Virginia group includes three autism mothers and an autism father who is on the Memorial Roll.

 West Virginia Autism Lights

1. Mindy Dawson is an Autism Mother from Capon Bridge, West Virginia. She founded a Sensitive Santa event for children with autism in her community. 
2. Dreama Denver is an Autism Mother from Princeton, West Virginia who operates the Denver Foundation in honor of her son Colin who has autism. 
3. The late Bob Denver (1935-2005) is an Autism Father and actor who was dedicated to his son Colin. He lived in Princeton, West Virginia. 
4. Ruth C. Sullivan is an Autism Mother from Huntington, West Virginia. Her son Joseph has autism. She was one of the founders of the Autism Society of America and has bee a community organizer for autism.

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

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The map of West Virginia is attributed to By TUBS [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Bob and Dreama Denver

Autism Light #323 is Bob and Dreama Denver.

Bob Denver was the comic actor who starred in the sitcom Gilligan's Island. Bob Denver died on September 2, 2005, from cancer. Bob Denver was an autism father who quietly spent the last two decades of his life caring for his autistic son Colin. Bob's widow Dreama Denver is an author, speaker, runs The Denver Foundation and Little Buddy Radio, and continues to care for the couple's son Colin Denver. Bob and Dreama Denver are Autism Lights because of how their devotion to their son and their journey with autism has increased autism awareness. In addition, Bob Denver will be placed on the Autism Light Memorial Roll today.

Actor: Bob Denver starred as Gilligan in the popular sitcom Gilligan's Island which originally aired from 1964-1967.  Bob Denver also starred as Maynard G. Krebs in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, which aired from 1959-1963. You can read more about Bob Denver's career at Bob Denver's IMDb Page or the Wikipedia Page of Bob Denver. Bob Denver was not wealthy as he was only paid for the original shows he did and had no residual income from the numerous years of syndication and reruns of his beloved shows.

Autism Father: Dreama Denver shared with Fox411's Pop Tarts column about Bob Denver as an autism father.

I wanted the fans to know who he really was because he was a special, special man, especially when dealing with our son Colin, who has severe autism. I thought it was important to tell people that he set aside the last 21 years of his life to be with me and take care of our son, who had to have full-time care, [because he] didn't want me to do it alone. That speaks to the type of human being he was...He was highly intelligent, and I think that is the most surprising thing about him. He was extremely intelligent, and that didn't always come across in the characters that he played (Fox News, Wife of Late Bob Denver Says, 11/15/2012)

Little Buddy Radio: Bob and Dreama Denver founded Little Buddy Radio that provides a variety of music that comes from different decades of history. Dreama Denver continues to manage Little Buddy Radio. You can listen to the radio station online.

Foundation: Bob and Dreama Denver established The Denver Foundation in honor of their son Colin who has autism. The foundation operates in West Virginia and has a partnership with ResCare to meet the needs of special needs families in the community. You can learn more about The Denver Foundation at www.bobdenver.com/the-denver-foundation.  The following is a video where Dreama Denver reflects on Bob Denver.

Author: In September, 2012, Dreama Denver published Gilligan's Dreams: The Other Side of the Island. The book shows people that Bob Denver loved in his life and includes a discussion of his relationship wth his autistic son Colin.

Autism Mother: Dreama Denver encourages other autism mothers and widows who are caring for children with autism alone while she promotes her book on her family. She said, "Even when you get a heartbreaking diagnosis for your child -- and even when you lose the person in your life who is everything to you and shares the load with you -- that you can survive. It really is a book about hope and survival and mainly about making commitments and keeping them (WDTV.com, Wife of Deceased Actor Shares Her Story, 4/13/2013)."

Special thanks to Bob and Dreama Denver for being a light for autism. The autism community is grateful for the light of Bob and Dreama Denver and for the courage of Dreama Denver as an autism mother who continues to make a difference for autism without the support she once had of her husband Bob Denver.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Mindy Dawson

Autism Light #104 is Mindy Dawson.

Mindy Dawson is from Capon Bridge, West Virginia. Her son Joshua has autism. Mindy Dawson is an Autism Light because she is the organizer of a Sensitive Santa event for children with autism at the Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester, West Virginia.

Mindy Dawson first organized a Sensitive Santa Event last year so her son Joshua and other children in her community, who have sensory issues associated with autism, would have an opportunity to visit Santa at a special event apart from the loud crowds and lights. The event is managed by all volunteers who have a heart for helping children with autism in the Christmas season.

This year's Sensitive Santa Event will be held on Sunday, December 11, 2011 from 9-10am at the Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester, West Virginia before the mall opens for regular hours. The Apple Blossom Mall is located at 1850 Apple Blossom Drive, Winchester, West Virginia 22601. Anyone may bring a child with autism at this time to meet Santa. The mall event website is asking people to enter the building for this special event through the doors at the mall food court, since the mall will not be open for regular shopping.

For more information on the Sensitive Santa Event contact Mindy Dawson at 540-931-8662 or email mindydawson@citlink.net.

Jessica Wiant wrote an excellent article on Mindy Dawson's passion for this event that is found on the  NVDaily.com Website.

Special thanks to Mindy Dawson for taking the leadership to bring a Sensitive Santa to Apple Blossom Mall.  Wouldn't it be great if there were one of these events in hundreds of cities across the world by next year.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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The Photo of Santa in this post is in the Public Domain.

This Autism Light post went into syndication at Autisable.