Attention: Attendees will have to create a Kinema account to register to attend the Live Broadcast.

Link to register: https://kinema.com/events/this-is-not-about-me-kmos-k

Information on ROI website: https://www.rootsofinclusion.org/events.html

What is it like to be autistic and non-speaking in a world that has already made up its mind

about you? This Is Not About Me tells the story of Jordyn Zimmerman. Jordyn dreamt of

becoming a teacher. She started out eager to learn at school, but she was soon separated from

the other children. Unable to communicate, teachers thought she was also unable to

understand or learn. Year after year, her behavior worsened. She was restrained and placed in

seclusion. Jordyn found herself caught in a system that turned her life into a living nightmare.

Finally, at the age of 18, with the help of educators who see her differently, she manages to turn

her fate and flourish.

Join us as we view the film This is Not About Me and share our learnings. After the film we will

have a 60 minute panel discussion with:

Jordyn Zimmerman, MEd (she/her) - serves as the Director of Professional Development at The

Nora Project, which supports educators in their efforts to teach all students about disability as a

valued and expected part of human diversity. She is also the Chair of CommunicationFIRST’s

Board of Directors. She earned her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Boston

College in 2021. Before graduate school, Ms. Zimmerman interned at the National Disability

Rights Network and completed her bachelor’s degree in Education Policy at Ohio University

As a nonspeaking autistic student who was denied access to effective augmentative

communication until she was 18, Ms. Zimmerman has personal experience challenging the

educational status quo, experience that is featured in the 2021 documentary This Is Not About

Me. An avid typist and advocate for all students, Ms. Zimmerman is passionate about ensuring

every student is able to access effective communication and exercise their right to a truly

inclusive education.

Grant Blasko (he/him) - is a young adult nonspeaking autistic student who communicates using

augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). He lives in Mercer Island, Washington,

where he currently attends Bellevue College. He is also a University of Washington DO-IT

Scholar, an active member of TASH’s National Communication Access Workgroup, and an

Advisory Council member of the civil rights organization CommunicationFIRST. Since the age of

11, Grant has been advocating for himself and other non-speaking autistics at schools,

conferences, and universities throughout the United States. He is passionate about curriculum

accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and inclusive practices.

Cynthia Blasko (she/her) - Parent of three children and works to promote Universal Design for Learning and Inclusion.  Cynthia has a medical-surgical background as a physician assistant. Since 2012, she has worked with public school districts to support children who type to communicate. Cynthia advocates, trains, coaches, and collaborates with elementary, middle, and high school staff to support inclusion for students with complex communication needs. She has presented at numerous workshops and conferences locally and nationally.

Jennifer Karls (she/her) - Parent of 2 young adult children and director at Roots of Inclusion.

Jennifer has worked to understand how systems that intersect in the lives of her children

(education, employment, and healthcare to name a few) perpetuate inequities and how the lack

of communication access in those systems continues to isolate and cause harm to her child who

is minimally speaking autistic.

Attention: Attendees will have to create a Kinema account to register to attend the Live Broadcast.

Link to register: https://kinema.com/events/this-is-not-about-me-kmos-k

Information on ROI website: https://www.rootsofinclusion.org/events.html