{"id":45,"date":"2014-01-16T11:08:51","date_gmt":"2014-01-16T19:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/?page_id=45"},"modified":"2023-07-16T17:04:30","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T00:04:30","slug":"success-stories","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/about\/success-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Testimonials"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From an alumni and a parent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Neurodiversity and Accessibility: BC Foundation Learn. Engage. Invest. Speaker Series\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CCcFFez7h3E?wmode=transparent&amp;rel=0&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hear from one of our students and our director<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.king5.com\/embeds\/video\/281-5fabdbf7-5ea9-44ca-a37b-de096628c4ac\/iframe?jwsource=cl\" target=\"_blank\">King5 interview &#8211; Neurodiversity Navigators program ranks #1 in the country<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In the news<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Teen Vogue<\/strong> <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/story\/students-cognitive-differences-covid-19\" target=\"_blank\">Students with Cognitive Differences Say COVID Derailed Their Routines<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leaver, a third-year student, is a participant in Bellevue\u2019s Neurodiversity Navigators program, which supports students with a variety of cognitive differences. A classically trained violinist, Leaver was hoping to transfer to a four-year university with a strong music program after completing her associate\u2019s degree. But when COVID-19 struck in Washington, Leaver\u2019s home state, and then the country, her plans were derailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf I didn\u2019t have the training and self-advocacy that I\u2019ve accumulated over the past two years\u2026 I would be floundering,\u201d she says. \u201cI would have fallen behind and never caught back up.\u201d \u2014 (BC Alumni Abby Leaver)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(snip)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leaver sees this moment, in a year marked by social upheaval, as an opportunity to reframe public perceptions of neurodiversity. Autism isn\u2019t a medical issue, she believes; rather, it&#8217;s a social-justice issue that\u2019s been \u201cco-opted by the medical system.\u201d She urges people to abandon medical language and \u201cnormative assumptions\u201d when they think about autism and focus on individuality.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"424\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2022\/06\/abigail-leaver-approved-pic.jpg\" alt=\"photo of young woman with long reddish hair and glasses\" class=\"wp-image-7285 size-full img-fluid \" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2022\/06\/abigail-leaver-approved-pic.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2022\/06\/abigail-leaver-approved-pic-177x300.jpg 177w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2014\/01\/trevor_pacelli-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Young man with short brown hair and slight smile\" class=\"wp-image-78 size-full img-fluid \" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>CNN<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/04\/02\/health\/iyw-growing-up-autistic\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Growing Up Autistic: My Story<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe college I attend has a program specifically created for students with autism and Asperger\u2019s, which helps them learn their strengths and weaknesses and how to advocate for themselves. I have learned what my needs are and how to ask for help, even though at times I wanted to give up. I have always been given the help I needed when I asked.\u201d \u2014 (BC Alumni Trevor Pacelli)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Kirkland Reporter<\/strong> <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kirklandreporter.com\/opinion\/helping-neurodivergent-students-navigate-higher-education-windows-and-mirrors\/\" target=\"_blank\">Helping Neurodivergent Students Navigate Higher Education<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI lost 14 years of my life to just nothing,\u201d Gibson said about all of his previously failed attempts at higher education, a time period in which he didn\u2019t really grow in any way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said NdN helps students avoid that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gibson likened high school to a tricycle and college to a bicycle. There is no in-between or training wheels period. For him, NdN is the training wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re not entirely on your own,\u201d Gibson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I asked both Gibson and Leaver what advice they had for BC students who are on the spectrum, regarding the program. While they acknowledged that not everyone may need NdN, they both encouraged students to at least reach out because the staff are good people to connect with and will advocate for you whether you\u2019re in the program or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gibson said no student on the autism spectrum should go straight from high school to a four-year college or university. He said students should \u201cget something in between.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s kind of hard without that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"566\" height=\"565\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2022\/06\/NdN-testimonial-josh-g.png\" alt=\"It took me 6 attempts to earn a college degree before coming to Bellevue College. I would not have graduated withou the Neurodiversity Navigators program. It gave me the training wheels I needed. Listening to the woman who runs it, Sara Gardner, describe her own college experience - the roller coaster that often affects students with autism, and how she modeled the program to help those students... I broke down crying in the info session. It was so powerful. I had very rough personal things that happened at different points in my life. I didn't have any hope. It was the Neurodiversity Navigators that GAVE ME the HOPE. Josh Gibson, Graduated BC in 2021, BAS Info Systems &amp; Technology, Systems Administrator at Costco\" class=\"wp-image-7274 size-full img-fluid \" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2022\/06\/NdN-testimonial-josh-g.png 566w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2022\/06\/NdN-testimonial-josh-g-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2022\/06\/NdN-testimonial-josh-g-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2022\/06\/NdN-testimonial-josh-g-55x55.png 55w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2022\/06\/NdN-testimonial-josh-g-45x45.png 45w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2022\/06\/NdN-testimonial-josh-g-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 566px) 100vw, 566px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alumni<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Anon:<\/strong> The ASN support for me to get my AA degree was amazing. I don&#8217;t think I would have made it this far without this program. I&#8217;m very grateful for this support, thank you. The group meetings for this quarter were helpful and reassuring. I don&#8217;t think any changes are needed. The parts that worked well for me was that an NA was always available for me, despite how busy they were tending to the entire group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Ilsa&nbsp;Kasmar&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, I went running in the rain for the first time. Unsurprisingly, it sucked. My clothes are now soaked, and I spent most of the run kicking myself for deciding to go out in the first place. I even considered just going running some other time, which &#8212; if you know how incredibly stubborn I am &#8212; tells you just how bad it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then something unexpected and wonderful happened: the sun came out. And it made me realize that that was what life was about sometimes. Sometimes you have to do things you don&#8217;t want to do. But eventually, no matter how long it takes or whether or not you believe it will, the sun comes out. In the words of Maia Sharp, one of my favorite singers, &#8220;you can&#8217;t lose them all.&#8221; It just doesn&#8217;t always seem like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve been trying, thus far unsuccessfully, to come up with a metaphor to describe the AS Navigator&#8217;s program. The thing is, I want to be as truthful as I absolutely can. I don&#8217;t like to exaggerate. And I try as hard as I possibly can not to lie, especially when it&#8217;s important. And&nbsp; for the most part, I succeed. (Unless you count when you lie to yourself by saying &#8220;well, one more cookie won&#8217;t hurt&#8230;&#8221;)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve been through a lot in my lifetime. I won&#8217;t go into details, because it tends to make people depressed and uncomfortable, but I&#8217;ve seen some of the worst of what the world has to offer. I&#8217;ve stared it in the face. And it is one of the few things that has truly, deeply frightened me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you have done that, there is part of you that will never stop looking over your shoulder. Because it turns out, there is such a thing as evil, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I thought it was just a word that people used to dehumanize their enemies and scare little children into being good. But trust me, it does exist. And I hope for your sake you never have to find out yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2020\/01\/sharing-umbrella-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"two people standing under one umbrella\" class=\"wp-image-5317 img-fluid \" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2020\/01\/sharing-umbrella-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2020\/01\/sharing-umbrella-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2020\/01\/sharing-umbrella-55x55.jpg 55w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2020\/01\/sharing-umbrella-45x45.jpg 45w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2020\/01\/sharing-umbrella-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2020\/01\/sharing-umbrella.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>But after all that, I&#8217;m still going. I&#8217;ve learned how to succeed in classes. I&#8217;ve learned to see more than just the bad in life. And I&#8217;ve had to work my butt off to get to where I am now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I&#8217;m not going to lie to you and say I couldn&#8217;t live without the AS Navigator&#8217;s program. I could, because that&#8217;s just the kind of person I am. But what I&#8217;ve realized is that the program is like someone running beside you, holding an umbrella over your head when it rains. They don&#8217;t do the work for you. But they make it more bearable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And when you spend your life working as hard as you can, never really getting the credit you deserve, that help can go a long way to making life better. It can make the task of getting up every day, knowing you&#8217;ll have to spend most of it way outside your comfort zone, a little bit easier. Because you know they&#8217;ve got your back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">TP<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:200,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\"> :&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">When I started the AS Navigators program, I already knew parts of what to expect. I knew I would have an advisor I would meet with, who would help me sort out a plan of action in regards to my schoolwork. I did not, however, expect the group meetings and assistance in getting information and help from my professors. These would all contribute to an elevation in my success here at BC.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">My Navigation assistant is extremely helpful, and has given me a lot of advice as to what to do with my homework assignments. The information I get from my teachers via her is also very useful. The &#8220;To Do lists&#8221; provided by the assistant are also pretty useful, they serve as an efficient reminder<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">to do my work and to do what my assistant and I discussed.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In short, the AS Navigators program is absolutely fantastic.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Shared by our Faculty:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear Colleagues,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would like to share a conversation that I had with a Bellevue College student last night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On his way to school on the bus that day, a baby started to cry loudly. When the baby couldn&#8217;t be comforted, another passenger became very upset, putting his hands over his ears and showing a great deal of anxiety. Our student went to the young man and tried to calm him. The young man, who was not a native English speaker, repeated a phrase that our student couldn&#8217;t understand. Eventually, the distraught rider pulled out a paper identifying the bearer as autistic. Our student explained calmly that he too was autistic and went on to share how he himself coped with upsetting events such as the loud noise of a crying baby. He made every effort to come to the other\u2019s aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPoor, guy. I hope he is ok,\u201d concluded our student before launching into telling me about his dream to finish his program here so that he could become a graphic animator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two quarters ago, on the first day of classes when this same student could not find his classroom on his very first day of college, he was the one who needed help to deal with a difficult situation. Now, he is helping others to navigate life&#8217;s challenges. There is no doubt in my mind that the confidence that he has today is, in part, a result of the great support he is getting from the Autism Spectrum Navigator Program and his teachers at Bellevue College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t say it often enough, but in honor of this wonderful story, today I will remember to thank you to all at the ASNP and DRC for all you do for our community!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tobi Rosenberg, Faculty<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>English\/ESL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From an alumni and a parent https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CCcFFez7h3E Hear from one of our students and our director King5 interview - Neurodiversity Navigators program ranks #1 in the country &nbsp; In the news Teen Vogue Students with Cognitive Differences Say COVID Derailed Their Routines Leaver, a third-year student, is a participant in Bellevue\u2019s Neurodiversity Navigators program, which <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/about\/success-stories\/\">...more about Testimonials<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":59,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-45","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8342,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45\/revisions\/8342"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/autismspectrumnavigators\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}