A nonspeaking autistic writer’s advocacy – with Ben Breaux

How do you get an education when you cannot speak, and the school system does not understand your abilities or support your needs? This was the experience of Ben Breaux, a 22-year-old nonspeaking autistic man with epilepsy who uses a letterboard and a text-to-speech app on his iPad to communicate.

Ben is an aspiring journalist who feels it is very important that non-, minimal- and unreliably speaking autistic people have equal rights, opportunities, and voices in society. He writes and advocates on these topics and more on his public Facebook Page, for numerous autism advocacy groups worldwide, and on advocacy boards and committees in his home state of Virginia and nationally.

During this episode, Ben discusses:

• What life was like before he learned how to communicate using a letterboard
• The struggles he faced to earn his education
• The advocacy work he does for nonspeaking autistic people with two nonprofit organizations, NeuroClastic and CommunicationFIRST
• What inspired him to start sharing his writing online
• His advice for parents of nonspeaking children, and for nonspeaking people themselves

Read Ben’s writing on his Facebook page, Instagram and on the Neuroclastic website, and follow Ben on TikTok.

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube!

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Read the episode transcript.

*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*