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Framing My Story: Photography, autism, and Black identity by self-advocate Phillip Martin

"Black History Month isn’t just about the past—it’s about the present and future. It’s about celebrating resilience, breaking barriers and amplifying Black voices. My story is a part of that history because I exist in a space where Black autistic voices are often underrepresented. Photography gives me the power to change that. Every time I capture a Black face in an authentic, unfiltered way, I’m creating representation that I didn’t have growing up.”

Read more about how Phillip’s work as a portrait photographer helped him learn more about his personal journey on the autism spectrum and see the people who have inspired him along the way. 

Our Team. Our Stories: Meet Autism Speaks’ HR professional, Corlissa Belcher

In this edition of the exclusive series of Our Team. Our Stories., Corlissa opens up about her personal employment journey, the impact of her work as an autism ally and how celebrating Black History Month strengthens our commitment to equity in the autism community.

Breaking barriers to diagnosis in the Black community 
Victoria Handy’s journey to an autism diagnosis was anything but straightforward. Misdiagnosed for years and dismissed by providers, she and her mother fought tirelessly for answers. Now, as a Champion of Change at Autism Speaks, Victoria is using her experience to advocate for earlier diagnoses and better access to care—especially for Black children, who continue to be diagnosed later than their peers. Read her story and learn how families can navigate the diagnostic process. 

Autism support for the Black community and beyond.

Finding support in the autism community is known to lead to a better quality of life. It’s also a great way to promote acceptance and decrease stigma. To help, we have expanded our list of autism-friendly community groups and services to include those for the Black community. Some are online, others have local groups and meet in-person. Click here to find your community!

If you run a group inclusive of autistic people and/or their families and would like to be listed, please contact us here.

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