Hi, everyone.
I'd like to present our final award,
an award for
Service to the Self-Advocacy
Movement Award to a
really amazing group of individuals.
The Arlington Five.
The Arlington Five are
five nonspeaking autistic
individuals in Arlington county, Virginia,
between the ages of 10 and 20
who spell in order to communicate.
Although each student asked
Arlington county public schools
to allow them to use
their preferred form of
communication at school,
each was denied that right.
Instead, they were placed in
segregated classrooms where they could
not communicate except
through pointing to pictures,
using communication apps
that didn't work for them
that their teachers
weren't trained to use.
Their exclusion and
inability to communicate at school
has already forced
four of the five students
out of the public school system.
Actually, maybe three.
It's kind of complicated.
[Laughter]
But the Arlington Five weren't
willing to accept that result.
Instead, they joined together
and together with ASAN
filed a complaint with the
Department of Justice under the
Americans with Disabilities Act
to enforce their right to
supports to use their most
effective form of communication.
This groundbreaking complaint
sounds a call to action
to protect the communication rights
of all autistic people who have
been denied access to their
preferred form of communication.
It's important for us to remember
that nonspeaking autistic people
aren't silent.
They are silenced.
Without communication,
we cannot access an education.
We cannot access the ability
to make choices about our lives.
We can't� without communication,
we can't even vote.
I'm proud to say that some of
our Arlington Five did vote!
[Applause]
In this election.
With the communication supports
that they were able to get.
We are so proud to recognize
the leadership of the Arlington Five.
Their struggle is not over.
This complaint is not resolved.
We are still working to resolve it.
But we will not stop until everyone,
not just the Arlington Five,
but also everyone who uses supports
in order to communicate,
enjoys equal and basic rights
to inclusion and selfexpression.
Thank you.
[Applause]
Now, I'm going to
introduce everyone in order.
I'll start with Benjamin McGann.
Can you come up?
No, I'm going to introduce everyone,
then we're going to have the thing.
I'm sorry.
I'm a little discombobulated.
Benjamin was born in north.
He spent his toddler years
in Nairobi, Kenya.
He returned to the US
and spent 10 years
receiving yearround interventions,
including vision and speech therapy.
At 13, Ben had an opportunity
to leave the nest and spend
the following two years in Fiji,
where he learned independent skills
and how to swim like a fish.
When he returned to the US,
he competed at the Special Olympics,
state competition
and won the silver medal
in the 400 meter freestyle.
Ben also plays ice hockey
with the northern Virginia
cool cats and rows
with the athletes without limits
and is a proud member
of the tribe.
He cast his first ballot
earlier this month
and celebrates his 21st birthday
next week.
Benjamin is the youngest
of three children,
he's the brother of
Bethany and Bradford,
son of Stephen and
bertrand Bradford McGann.
[Applause]
Next is Huan.
Huan is a 19yearold
nonspeaking autistic student
in Arlington Public Schools.
An outspoken advocate,
Huan presented at the
TASH conference on
the importance of communication
and presuming confidence
for nonspeaking autistic individuals.
Huan is a fighter.
I have been very privileged
to be in many meetings
with Huan on his case.
Huan also, I believe,
recently cast his ballot
in the most recent election.
Huan, please come up.
[Applause]
Emma is a 19yearold
nonspeaking autistic woman
living in Arlington, Virginia.
Emma is also a nonspeaking
advocate and has presented at
the TASH conference with
Huan and Ben.
On the importance communicating
and presuming confidence
for nonspeaking autistic individuals.
Emma is also a proud member
of the tribe.
Emma, if you would like
to come up now, you can.
If you'd like to wait,
you can also wait.
And not attending right now
are two other members
of the Arlington Five,
Trevor and J.M.
Trevor and J.M. are both
10 years old.
And it was decided
that they would have a little bit
of a hard time making it
through this event.
I still want to introduce them
and their awards will be
given to them after the gala.
Trevor is an active
and social 10yearold
both with autism and apraxia
who lives with his
mother, father, and older brother.
Though he is mostly nonspeaking,
he makes every effort to
communicate using words,
gestures and
iPad communication app
and most effectively spelling
on his letter board.
>From preschool through
fourth grade he was
educated in the
selfcontained autism program
at Arlington Public Schools.
This year he attends
a private special education school
in Maryland.
Since 2014,
he's been using spelling
on a letter board to communicate,
but APS has not allowed him
to use it at school,
even though this is
the only communication method
that allows him to fully
demonstrate his understanding
of academic concepts
and selfexpression.
Trevor joined the complaint in 2015,
along with the rest
of the Arlington Five.
In his free time,
Trevor enjoys walks,
music, bowling, board games, swimming
and spending time with his family.
Finally, J.M. wrote his bio
in the first person.
I am 10 years old
and in the fifth grade.
The members of my family
are me, my mom and dad.
My favorite food is corn chips
and my favorite sport is hockey.
My favorite TV show is "Chopped"
and my favorite school
activity is reading.
When I grow up,
I want to be a dad.
My mom is my hero
because she's nice.
She's a happy mom.
She is my main teacher.
My important event in my life
happened in third grade.
There was a lesson about
animals and I could read the words.
I felt happy.
Congratulations to the
whole Arlington Five,
and they will be presenting
their acceptance speeches
using a PowerPoint.
Their speech language pathologist
will read it aloud as well.
Emma, if you want
to stand with everyone,
feel free.
If you don't want to,
we have your award.
Hi, Emma.
Congratulations, Emma.
Do you want to hold this?
You can hold this
with everyone else.
I'll put this right here.
>> Service to the selfadvocacy
movement award acceptance
speech, the Arlington Five.
In life, some sons
and daughters never talk.
So people never think
that we are smart.
But I am here to tell you
that we are smart.
We need your acceptance.
Trevor.
When I grow up,
I want to be a dad.
My mom is my hero
because she is nice.
She is a happy mom.
She is my main teacher.
My important event in life
happened in third grade.
There was a lesson
about animals and I could
read the words of the
I felt happy.
J.M.
>From Emma:
Thank you for this honor.
Really, what we want is
to be able to communicate
like others.
We want other
nonspeaking autistics to
someday have a chance to be
educated and to have
opportunities not available to us.
What we want is to be accepted
as capable learners.
We are only asking for the
basic human right
to express ourselves.
Thank you.
Emma.
I want to thank you all
for recognizing us and
how far we've come.
There are five of us here,
but we are here to represent
the thousands of others who
are still stuck in silence.
Huan.
I'm thrilled to be part
of such an inspiring group
of individuals and advocates.
We have come so far together
with the endless love and support
of our teachers and parents.
Let this love and support
reach our friends across the nation,
as well as across the global.
Ben.
[Applause]
Thank you to our colleagues at ASAN.
Our fight for
communication rights is stronger
with your support.
Everyone deserves a voice.
Subtitles by the Amara.org community
