About the START Project
START Project Mission: To work with schools, community partners, and families to support students with autism to become active, engaged members of their schools and local communities, and successfully move into adulthood as independent individuals with many choices and opportunities.
The Statewide Autism Resources and Training (START) Project is housed in the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Autism Education Center (AEC) and has been funded by the Michigan Department of Education Office of Special Education since 2001. START supports educators to increase local capacity by providing evidence-based training, resources, and coaching support focused on systems-level change. As a statewide collaborative project, START partners with schools, families, and communities to create inclusive environments and experiences to empower autistic and neurodivergent students.
START affirms the importance of the autistic self-advocacy and neurodiversity movement. The autistic self-advocacy and neurodiversity movement has transformed the conversations and work surrounding inclusion, equity, and belonging. START is committed to ongoing growth and dialogue in support of these goals. We are committed to listening to the voices of families and caregivers who support those who are not able to share their experiences fully.
When we communicate about people with disabilities, it's critical to center and respect their lived experiences. One of the most effective ways of doing this is to listen to autistic self-advocates and families, which will ensure that our language is informed by individuals most directly impacted by that language.
While there is a preference for identity-first language by some autistic self-advocates, families, and advocacy organizations, there are also individuals with autism, families, and organizations who prefer person-first language (Taboas et al., 2022). As a society, we are constantly evolving in our use of language and our ideas about its most appropriate use. Our job as allies and advocates is to keep evolving our language according to guidance from the people we serve in the autism community knowing that the autistic community is diverse and may have varied preferences.
Two practical starting points can help to reflect on our current use of language around individuals with autism and, if necessary, move toward more informed and honoring language. Whenever possible, ask the individual or a family member what language they prefer and choose your language according to those preferences. When addressing a group of individuals whose experiences and language preferences vary, one inclusive strategy is to use a mix of terminology in your verbal and written communication. This includes intermixing person-first and identity-first terminology within and across sentences. When mixing language consistent with different preferences, you might also provide a statement to explain that the approach is intended to be inclusive of different ways individuals and families identify with autism.
Sample Language:
The use of identity-first language, in which the disability precedes the person (“autistic child”), and person-first language, in which the individual is placed in front of their disability (“student with autism”), is a topic of discussion spanning professional communities, personal conversations, and social media. While there is a preference for identity-first language by some autistic self-advocates, families, and advocacy organizations, there are some individuals with autism, families, and organizations that prefer person-first language. Whenever possible, ask the individual or a family member what they prefer. To honor preferences, consider using a mix of terminology in your verbal and written communication unless you know the preferences of an individual or group. This would include intermixing the use of person-first and identity-first terminology both within a sentence and across sentences. Mixing of language demonstrates a respect for the different ways individuals and families identify with autism.
For example, if you are designing a training flyer, you might use this language:
On Monday, March 7, we are providing a 2-hour training to the community about the strengths and needs of individuals with autism seeking employment. In this presentation, you will hear from autistic young adults and their family members, as well as school professionals.
Given that this flyer will be disseminated to a large group for which we do not know preferences, this mixing of language demonstrates a respect for the different ways individuals and families identify with autism.