Student Resources
Housing:
Campus Housing: www.bellevuecollege.edu/housing/ Our residence halls are fairly new, and ASN is in the process of working on student supports. If you are a current residence hall student, and need additional support, please contact us!
Transportation:
Find maps and information about buying an ORCA card on the Bellevue College Bus & ORCA Card page.
If you qualify for the ADA Paratransit Program, you can use the King County Access Program.
Scholarships, Internships, & Employment Resources:
Find Scholarships, Internships, & Employment Resource list (PDF) updated periodically. Check listings for accurate information.
Medical:
AWN has created Before You Go: Know Your Rights and What to Expect at the Doctor and in the Hospital, a guide for trans and autistic people to know better what to expect when going to doctors or hospitals, understand rights and responsibilities & strategize for safety planning, effective communication, accommodations, and more.
Therapeutic:
Bellevue College’s Counseling Center provides free, confidential counseling for students.
Therapist Neurodiversity Collective: find therapy resources, education, and advocacy
Coaching:
A Life Of My Own seeks to expand the intersection of neurodiversity ideals and strengths-based learning to empower young adults, to first envision then realize their potential.
My Life Tutors provides intensive virtual coaching to neurodivergent college students and professionals who need additional support due to their background, skill levels, or diagnosed learning differences.
Additional Support:
Ben’s Fund: Grant Funding for autistic students age 23 and under
Bellevue College Benefits Hub from United Way.
General Support:
Connect for information and referral to resources in King County.
Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT)
The University of Washington’s DO-IT Center promotes the success of individuals with disabilities in postsecondary education and careers, using technology as an empowering tool.
Online Resources
Learn About Autism from the Experts – Autistic People:
Lydia Brown: www.autistichoya.com/p/about.html
Amy Sequenzia: http://nonspeakingautisticspeaking.blogspot.com/
Patrick Dwyer: www.autisticscholar.com/
The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism: www.thinkingautismguide.com/
Directory of Non-Speakers and Spellers
Quincy Hansen https://speakingofautismcom.wordpress.com/
Bev Harp: http://aspergersquare8.blogspot.com/
Neurowonderful – Ask an Autistic: www.youtube.com/user/neurowonderful
Video Resource Aucademy: Educators of Autistic Experience
Stairway to STEM: www.stairwaytostem.org/
For families:
Parenting Autistic Children with Love and Acceptance, Lei Wiley: https://autloveaccept.wordpress.com/
Real Social Skills:
Listen as Rabbi Ruti Regan explains what social skills are truly needed (5 minute video)
Recordings: 5th annual Autistics Present Symposium
Neurodiversity
Pivot Diversity: (this page takes a little while to load, and it’s worth it)
https://www.pivotdiversity.com/neurodiversity
Neurodiversity Hub: https://www.neurodiversityhub.org/
National Resources
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization run by and for Autistic people. ASAN was created to serve as a national grassroots disability rights organization for the Autistic community, and does so by advocating for systems change and ensuring that the voices of Autistic people are heard in policy debates and the halls of power while working to educate communities and improve public perceptions of autism. ASAN’s members and supporters include Autistic adults and youth, cross-disability advocates, and non-autistic family members, professionals, educators and friends. Be sure to see their published resources for college students!
Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network
The mission of Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN) is to provide community support, and resources for Autistic women, girls, transfeminine and transmasculine nonbinary people, trans people of all genders, Two Spirit people, and all people of marginalized genders or of no gender. AWN is committed to recognizing and celebrating diversity and the many intersectional experiences in our community.
AWN recognizes and affirms all people’s gender identities and expressions, as well as choices about disclosure, transition, and keeping your identity private.
Our goal is to dispel stereotypes and misinformation which cause unnecessary fears surrounding an autism diagnosis. We are committed to sharing information which works to build acceptance and understanding of disability.
Foundations for Divergent Minds
Foundations for Divergent Minds is a new way to think about how we support autistic and neurodivergent people. Building on principles of the Disability Rights Movement and the Neurodiversity Paradigm, this model creates systems of accommodations and supports to enhance the quality of life of autistic and neurodivergent people. The systems are based on five areas that create a foundation for greater autonomy and increased inclusion in the home, community and school.
Books
Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement, edited by Steven K. Kapp
Loud Hands, Autistic People, Speaking, by Julia Bascom
We’re Not Broken, by Eric Garcia
Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity, by Devon Price, Ph.D.
All the Weight of Our Dreams, by the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
Typed Words, Loud Voices, by Amy Sequenzia and Elizabeth J Grace
Authoring Autism, by Melanie Yergeau
Leaders Around Me, edited by Edlyn Vallejo Peńa
Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity, by Steve Silberman
Uniquely Human, by Barry M Prizant
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network Resource Library
Last Updated October 14, 2023