Autism Activist Temple Grandin to Speak at CofC

Autism activist Temple Grandin will speak at the College of Charleston’s Sottile Theatre on November 27, 2012 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Grandin was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4, at a time when little was known or understood about the disorder. Doctors recommended putting Grandin in a mental hospital, but her mother refused and helped Grandin adapt to the world around her. Today, she is a best-selling author, a professor at Colorado State University and an animal scientist.

“Temple Grandin is an incredible innovator, activist, and best-selling author, and her presentation will highlight the fact that people with disabilities contribute in valuable and authentically meaningful ways,” says Cynthia May, a psychology professor at the College of Charleston. “In addition, some of Temple’s work in animal studies intersects with the work of Jonathan Safran Foer, this year’s The College Reads! Author, and thus her presentation will extend the campus conversation about human-animal interaction in unique ways.”

Grandin is a gifted animal scientist who revolutionized practices for the human handling of livestock. She is a professor at Colorado State University.

Her publications include Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships, The Way I See It:  A personal look at autism, and Asperger’s and Thinking in Pictures: My life with autism.

A viewing of the documentary, Temple Grandin, was also held on campus in conjunction with her visit to campus. The film tells Grandin’s story of becoming one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry, despite her struggles with autism.

These events are sponsored by the Transition and Postsecondary Education for Students with Intellectual Disabilities Grant (TPSID) for the REACH Program, and by the Women’s and Gender Studies program.