Our second year of the Teighlor McGee Grassroots Mini Grant Program was even more competitive than our first. So many people in our community are doing vital work, and find clever, innovative solutions to the challenges we’re facing. We are honored to announce the following four 2025 Teighlor McGee Grassroots Mini Grant recipients!

International Association for Spelling as Communication’s (I-ASC) Spellers and Allies Advocacy Network is a recipient of the Self-advocates Transforming Equitable Policy grant. I-ASC’s Spellers and Allies Advocacy Network is a nonspeaker-led group that wishes to create a network of passionate and informed young people working to make acceptance and awareness a reality. They will be leading the Communication Equity Campaign, a self-advocate-led initiative focused on expanding access to communication for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and low-income nonspeaking individuals. The campaign uses storytelling, community partnerships, and equity-driven advocacy to increase awareness, representation, and access to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), including forms of spelling and typing. Through art, media, training, and mentorship, the project amplifies the voices and leadership of historically excluded nonspeakers and works to break down systemic barriers to communication.

Yingya Vang is a recipient of the Self-advocates Transforming Equitable Policy grant. She will be leading a project to gather a group of Hmong autistic adults for a series of meetings and collectively learn about the Hmong American experience of being autistic. They will use discussions to explore the cultural components of their experiences, how the intersectionality of their identities coexists, and how autism exists in their families throughout generations — including how a landscape war, famine, and Asia-US has dramatically changed within each generation. They will offer sensory self-regulation supports to integrate into daily lives and discuss how Hmong families could adapt supports to make cultural gatherings more inclusive.

Coalición Neurodivergente Peruana (Peruvian Neurodivergent Coalition) is a recipient of the Affiliates in Action grant. They will be hosting the Neurodivergent Fair: Visibility, Community, and Self-Advocacy from the Global South. The Neurodivergent Fair is a two-day community-led event in Lima, Peru, organized by and for neurodivergent people, including autistic individuals. It will provide an accessible and culturally safe space to celebrate neurodiversity, share self-advocacy tools, showcase creative and entrepreneurial work, and build community. Activities will include workshops, a marketplace of neurodivergent-run initiatives, a sensory-friendly rest zone, and the distribution of accessible educational materials.

Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators (NINE) is a recipient of the Affiliates in Action grant. NINE is comprised of autistic and multiply Neurodivergent educators and other educational professionals from our local school board and beyond. They seek to increase exposure to authentic autistic narratives in literature amongst elementary and secondary school children, their educators and learning community partners. They will also provide professional development and resources to educators by introducing carefully selected autistic written works including picture books, graphic novels, and more. They will be modelling a Neuroaffirming approach to the use of these books in schools. They use a capacity building approach which starts with NINE-led book clubs and leads to book club teachers sharing the learning and resources with their school teams. They also hope to expand this work to support autistic educators and students who want to develop their own publications. Often, there are too many barriers to publication and important voices are not heard or amplified.

We are beyond thrilled to support the work of Yingya Vang, International Association for Spelling as Communication, Coalición Neurodivergente Peruana, and Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators. They are doing important work in our community, and we are so excited to see everything they’re able to do. The next Teighlor McGee Grassroots Mini Grant cycle begins in May 2026 — keep an eye out for the application announcement next year!

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

PO Box 66122
Washington, DC 20035

 

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