Welcome to the Frist Center Blog: Where Innovation Meets Neurodiversity
Welcome to the first ever post of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation (FCAI) blog! We are beyond excited to introduce you to this space which we hope will flourish into a hub of connection.
Housed in the School of Engineering at Vanderbilt University, the Frist Center is at the forefront of integrating leading engineers, researchers, business scholars, experts, and most importantly neurodivergent voices to understand and develop ways to empower neurodiverse talent within and into the workplace. What is the most special about the Frist Center is that we utilize a social-strengths based perspective of neurodiversity. There is power in difference and innovation is at its finest when everyone is included at the table.
With this blog, we want to utilize the power of storytelling. Storytelling is absolutely the most powerful tool in educating others and inspiring widespread change. By highlighting voices and perspectives, stories provide real human connection, allowing individuals to relate to one another and connect on a deeper level. We want to be a blog that is most informative but also inviting. Some posts may read like streams of consciousness and others may dive into interviews or personal essays. All of the posts will share one common goal: to deepen understanding and highlight thoughtful narratives. We will aim to publish about 3 to 4 posts a month, covering a variety of content such as interviews, profiles, re-posts, and other forms of original content.
We hope to target all kinds of audiences, whether you are a self-advocate, employer, educator, or just interested about autism and innovation. If you are interested in creating content and writing for the FCAI blog, we would love to highlight your voice! This blog will thrive on collaboration and we are eager to highlight a range of perspectives.
This blog is managed in part by me, Gabi Barrocas, a sophomore at Vanderbilt studying neuroscience with a passion for autism advocacy and storytelling. As someone who has worked closely with the Frist Center and runs an independent blog called The Real Spectrum, I’m especially excited to help bring this platform to life.
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