Benjamin Breaking Barriers

d acting and his participation in Boulder’s top-level youth symphony (as a violinist), Benjamin has recently taken on the role of public speaker and advocate. Together with his mother, he has developed both a power-point presentation and a blog. Benjamin’s multi-media presentation is structured to fit a standard 50-minute class period, and is geared towards high-school age students (including 8th graders) through adults. The presentation consists of a 30-minute talk accompanied by a 28-slide Power Point Presentation consisting of great photos and visuals. This is followed by a 5-minute performance element (Polynesian poi-swings choreographed to Celtic music). Benjamin’s mother generally gives a 5-minute introductory talk which is intended to give background information and to provide a sense of perspective. This is particularly important for college students contemplating work with autistic individuals and for parents of children with autism, but is helpful for high-school-age audiences as well. For situations where time-constraints are an issue, Benjamin has an abbreviated version of his presentation which runs 20 minutes in length (total timing); this includes a brief introduction given by his mother, as well as a shortened version of the performance element that concludes Benjamin's presentation. Benjamin also has a blog which is focused on the happenings, thoughts, and perceptions that are of interest to Benjamin as he moves into adulthood. Read about what life is like as seen through the eyes of a talented individual who happens to be different, and get some extra perspective from the viewpoint of Benjamin’s mother, who is his primary helper and team-mate in this endeavor. Find the blog at our website www.benjaminbreakingbarriers.com If you would like to engage Benjamin as a speaker, please contact us at [email protected]