Robert MacNeil

Autism Light #315 is Robert MacNeil.

Robert MacNeil is 82 years old and is an Autism Grandfather. Robert MacNeil, also known as Robin MacNeil, is an author and a news journalist who along with Jim Lehr anchored the MacNeil-Lehr Newshour on PBS for 20 years. MacNeil was born in Canada and became an American citizen in 1997. He has homes in both Nova Scotia and Manhattan, New York. Robert MacNeil is an Autism Light for raising awareness of autism by using his news reporting skills to tell the story of autism, including that of his Grandson Nick.

Education: Robert MacNeil graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada in 1955.

News Anchor: From 1975-1995, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehr hosted the MacNeil-Lehr Newshour on PBS. The daily news program that focused on a single feature was popular and groundbreaking. On October 20, 1995, Jim Lehr gave a Tribute to Robert MacNeil as MacNeil ended his time with the program.  After a hiatus of over a decade, Robert MacNeil returned briefly to the Newshour in 2011 to do a 6 part Autism Now series that has a personal connection to his family. Here is the news segment that Robert MacNeil did on his then 6 year old Grandson Nick's life, as part of the series on Autism Now.

More information on this series can be found on the PBS Newshour Autism Now Webpage. Author: Robert MacNeil's biography on the PBS Newshour Website shares this about his writings:

MacNeil is the author of several books. "The People Machine," (1968) studied the relationship between television and politics. He has written three memoirs, "The Right Place at the Right Time" (1982), "Wordstruck" (1989) and "Looking For My Country, Finding Myself in America" (2003). He wrote three best-selling novels, "Burden of Desire" (1992), "The Voyage" (1995) and "Breaking News" (1998). He was co-author of "The Story of English," companion volume to the BBC-PBS television series which he hosted, and its sequel, "Do You Speak American?" (2005), a three-hour PBS series on American English today (PBS News Hour-Where Are They Now?)

Honors: In 1997, Robert MacNeil was made an officer in the Order of Canada in honor of his contributions in the field of journalism. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian award that is given to a Canadian.   You can find out more about Robert MacNeil at the following pages.

• Robert MacNeil's Wikipedia Page
• PBS News Hour -Where Are They Now? 
• NNDB People Webpage

Special thanks to Robert MacNeil for his devotion as an Autism Grandparent and for shining a light on autism with his talent in journalism. Robert MacNeil's contribution to the Autism Now series helped raise awareness of autism.  

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Tiffany Alberts

Autism Light #314 is Tiffany Alberts.

Tiffany Alberts is a Special Needs Resource Teacher at Lakeview Middle School for the Warsaw Community Schools in Warsaw, Indiana. With her leadership she arranged for a 13 year old boy named Jacob Brock who has multiple disabilities, including autism and cerebral palsy, to have the opportunity to score a touchdown in a special Pink Out Football Game on September 10, 2013. Tiffany Alberts is an Autism Light for the joy she brought to Jacob Brock's life through setting up this opportunity for him. Autism Light also gives a special mention to the Warsaw Tigers football team who helped Tiffany Alberts create this special experience for Jacob.

Jacob Brock loves football and he had surgery last year to temporarily extend his ability to walk and run. Playing football, like so many young people do, will not be physically possible for Jacob. His teacher Tiffany Alberts arranged for Jacob to have the opportunity to score a touchdown in a game at his school.

Here is a video of Jacob Brock scoring the touchdown during the football game on Sept. 10, 2013.


You can also watch a video of a news story on ABC57.com when they covered Jacob Brock's first touchdown.

Tiffany Alberts said, “Jacob isn’t going to get the opportunity to run in a normal football game like a lot of typical kids can. I just thought it would be something he would really enjoy and remember. I just wanted him to have a shot (The Greatest Touchdown Ever Made, Stacey Page Online).”

Jacob's parents, Jeremy and Charity Brock appreciate the dedication of Tiffany Alberts toward their son. Charity Brock said, "She's just awesome! She knows he loves to play sport (The Greatest Touchdown Ever Made, Stacey Page Online).”

You can find out more about Tiffany Alberts and Jacob Brock's first touchdown in these online features.

• When a Touchdown Becomes a Homerun, Autism Speaks News Section
• Teen with Disabilities Scores His First Ever Touchdown, ABC57.com (VIDEO)
• The Greatest Touchdown Ever Made, Stacey Page Online

Special thanks to Tiffany Alberts for being an Autism Light. She is representative of the genuine commitment to go the second mile that many teachers put forth when working with their students with autism.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Autism Light #312 is the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The organization started in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Los Angeles in 1958. The Los Angeles Dodgers are an Autism Light for designating one of their home games as an autism awareness day game and for making a difference for cause of autism in the Los Angeles area.

2013 Autism Awareness Day: On August 14, 2013, the Los Angeles Dodgers held their 2nd Annual Autism Awareness Day at Dodger stadium for the game where the Dodgers hosted the New York Mets (Los Angeles Dodgers Host Autism Awareness Day). There was a special recogition of the autism community at the game and the Los Angeles Dodgers donated a portion of ticket sales to the Los Angeles chapter of Autism Speaks.

Holly Robinson-Peete (Autism Light #100) sang the National Anthem for this occasion and George Lopez threw out the first pitch. The game also provided the opportunity for the public to recognize Patrick Brady and some successful members of the Exceptional Minds vocational program (Autism Student Knocks It Out of the Park at Dodger Stadium, PRWEB, August 16, 2013). 
Here is a video of highlights from the those who were at the autism awareness game. 
Here is a tweet from Autism Speaks-Los Angeles after the event.

Thank you all for attending our 2nd Annual Autism Awareness Night at Dodger Stadium! Dodgers pulled it out and... http://t.co/YdnU1p79bV
— Autism Speaks - LA (@autismspeaksla) August 16, 2013

Stephanie's Day: The Los Angeles Dodgers also supported and participated in the 2013 Stephanies Day Resource Fair which was held on June 8, 2013 and sponsored by CBS LA (Dodgers Community Relations, Pitching in the Community, June 13, 2013). Autism father Steve Mauldin founded Stephanie's Day over 15 years ago and the event provides an excellent opportunity for families impacted by autism in the Greater Los Angeles area to receive important information on autism resources (A Proud Father Tells What His Daughter and Stephanies' Day Means to Him, CBS Los Angeles, July 11, 2012). 
History: The Los Angeles Dodgers have a long history of winning titles and they were the 2013 National League West Division Champions. Here is a video of some of the greatest moments in Los Angeles Dodgers history. 
You can learn more about the Los Angeles Dodgers on the Wikipedia Page of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Social Media: You can follow the Los Angeles Dodgers on the following social media.

• Los Angeles Dodgers Facebook Page
• Los Angeles Dodgers Twitter Account @Dodgers
• Los Angeles Dodgers Google+ Page

Special thanks to the Los Angeles Dodgers for being Autism Light and supporting autism awareness in the Los Angeles area. It is a tremendous gift to autism when a baseball club like the Los Angeles Dodgers bring their winning efforts on behalf of the cause of autism. We wish the Dodgers success in their ongoing efforts on and off the baseball field.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.