Neurodivergent Young Adult Advisory Council
NYAAC
The Neurodivergent Young Adult Advisory Council (NYAAC) honors the lived experiences of neurodivergent young adults and promotes self-advocacy within the community.
Council Overview
Transition Pathways strongly believes “nothing about us without us” when providing services. We launched Neurodivergent Young Adult Advisory Council to ensure autistic voices are elevated across our initiatives.
Promote Self-Advocacy
Through advocacy, council members will gain confidence in leadership and facilitation to promote and create a community for autistic young adults throughout the City of Philadelphia.
Support Transition Pathways in an Advisory Capacity
Through advisory, council members will advise on Transition Pathways initiatives to ensure the inclusion of an autistic perspective. This includes but is not limited to school-to-work programs, the Drexel Business Inclusion Center, community engagement and outreach.
Council Members
I work as both a Community Autism Peer Specialist (CAPS), providing peer support to others on the spectrum, and as an autistic self-advocate. As a self-advocate, I offer my perspective as an autistic person in a wide variety of contexts, from speaking on panels to consulting on research projects. I have a BA in psychology from Temple University and am considering grad school options with the current goal of a career in therapy or counseling.
Fun Fact: I am currently working on a novel and hope to be a published author one day!
Resource Recommendation: I recommend checking out ASDNext and reading the blog posts written by me and other autistic self-advocates.
I am a Community Autism Peer Specialist (CAPS) and a blogger for the Philadelphia Autism Project. In 2014, I got involved in Community College of Philadelphia's "Get to Know Us" which was the doorway to being more involved with various autism-based projects involving self-advocacy. In 2022 for Autism Acceptance month I received the Jordan A. Smith Award for continuous recognition that I present for the ASD Community.
Fun Fact: I am a blogger for ASERT's ASDNext blog forum and a Community Autism Peer Specialist for the City of Philadelphia.
Resource Recommendation: I recommend checking out ASDNext and reading the blog posts written by me and other autistic self-advocates.
I am a first generation student of the Community College of Philadelphia and majoring in paralegal studies. I also work as a peer coach for the Center for Male Engagement. My goal is to have a career in the computer or law field. I am an alumni of the Project Career Launch program of Transition Pathways of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute.
Fun Fact: My favorite hobbies include reading, watching movies/documentaries, and drawing.
Resource Recommendation: One resource I'd love to share is the Autistic Self Advocacy Network website. It is a great site when it comes to learning about autism and self-advocacy.
My name is Arnaldo. Right now, I am currently studying at CCP in pursuit of an art and design major. Before then I had already used some of Drexel's resources which were very helpful in making connections which lead to my first job. I am very interested in the field of concept art, however I am also open to any other career option within art.
Fun Fact: I like practicing my art in my free time, especially now that I have an opportunity to start pursuing it as a full time thing.
Resource Recommendation: A really good resource that helped me transition into adulthood was Drexel's Transition Pathways. If anyone is struggling with dealing with adulthood they are a very good resource to turn to.
My name is Abdul and I am a member if NYACC. To me, autism is a way of socializing, communicating and learning differently than other people would do. To all other autistic individuals, autism is more than just a disability, it's a characteristic of being unique as a person.
Fun Fact: I enjoy playing basketball and flag football for Special Olympics Pennsylvania.
Resource Recommendation: One resource is https://www.specialolympics.org/ which offers volunteer opportunities to become an athlete.
Council Eligibility
Who is eligible to apply?
- I am neurodivergent, or have another disability and I am willing to draw from my own lived experience
- I am able to participate in group discussion and work as a team
- I am a high school graduate
- I have strong verbal and written communication skills
- I have competence in the use of Microsoft Suite, Google Apps, Zoom, and other workplace technology
How do I apply to join NYAAC?
If you are interested in applying, please complete this form. We accept applications on an ongoing basis. A member from Transition Pathways and the council will be in touch to discuss your application.
Contact us to learn more at transitionpathways@drexel.edu