Umbrella ND, 303 N West Street, Suite 150-U, Wichita, KS (2026)

05/12/2026

"If advocacy feels impossible, it’s because the systems weren't designed for us." ☂️

Our new guide, The NDs' Self-Advocacy Survival Guide, is officially available for pre-order!

This project is a labor of love from the entire Umbrella ND collective—from our incredible community contributors to our production team. It’s grounded in lived experience and designed for real life.

📖 Pre-order the full-color print book and get the PDF free: https://umbrellaopensdoors.org/sasg

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04/27/2026

⚠️ Content note: This post includes statistics and discussion about su***de and suicidal ideation. Please read at a pace that feels right for you.

📌 TLDR
- Autistic people face dramatically higher rates of suicidal ideation and death by su***de than non-Autistic people
- This is a mental health crisis driven by systemic failures, not by being Autistic
- Today we're sharing a free self-advocacy resource from AutismCrisisSupport.com
- Lisa Morgan, the site's founder, is a regular guest of Today's Autistic Moment and one of the reasons its partnership with Umbrella ND helped launch Autistic Advocacy Month.

Day 27 | Autistic Lives Are Worth Fighting For
April is dysregulating for many Autistic people. And that's not just about the noise of Autism Awareness campaigns from the outside.

It's also about knowing that the Autistic community is hurting and that the systems meant to support us often make things worse.

So today, we want to name something hard. And then point toward something that helps.

The reality:
For Autistic adults specifically, 42% reported suicidal ideation in the past year. Compare that to 4.8% for non-Autistic adults. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11042491/

These numbers represent real people in our community.
Research points to systemic causes, negative societal attitudes that erode Autistic people's sense of worth, accumulated stressors that make life feel overwhelming, and a lack of adequate support. When the world repeatedly signals that you need to be fixed, that takes a toll. Advocacy, connection, and community-built resources are part of how we fight back.

Today's featured resource: "Reasons for Living"
This free self-advocacy tool helps Autistic adults with or without support build a personalized list of reasons to live, including how to use it and when. Find it and more free resources at AutismCrisisSupport.com

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988.

Advocacy means we don't look away from hard things. We build what our community actually needs made by people who understand this life.

That's what Lisa has done. That's what this month is about.💛

Autistic Advocacy Month gold, orange, and red infinity fist logo created by Heli-OS.art

04/26/2026

Happy Day 26! 🎵

Today's spotlight: Music for Autism ,an organization creating sensory-friendly, relaxed concerts where Autistic people and families can just be. No pressure, no performance. Just music and community.

You can learn more at MusicForAutism.org.

But we also want to know, what's YOUR favorite music?

Drop a song, an artist, a whole playlist, whatever gets you moving, calms you down, or just makes April feel more bearable. 👇

Gold, orange, and red infinity with fist logo created by Heli-OS.art

04/25/2026

Hearing other people's stories is powerful. Sharing yours is, too! Podcasts are a great way to do both

Autistics are talking about their experiences on their own podcasts and those of others. Whether it is an Autistic specific podcast or some other that you appreciate. We'd love to build an Autistic generated podcast list to share with the community. Maybe you already have a list? Share it and we will add it to our resources!

Some of our favorites include:
Divergent Conversations - https://www.divergentpod.com/
Autism in Black - https://www.autisminblack.org/podcast/
Today's Autistic Moment - https://todaysautisticmoment.com/
Autism Stories - https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com/autismstories

Autistic Advocacy Month gold, orange, and red infinity with fist logo created by Heli-OS.art

04/23/2026

US self-advocates need to understand the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) created "A Self-Advocate's Guide to the American's with Disabilities Act." Check it out. It's free on their website! https://autisticadvocacy.org/resources/
Let us know if you have comments or questions!

You can also watch policy expert, Miriam Edelman discuss the ADA and employment.
https://youtu.be/xQ6eVJ5ryB8?si=m0MX8wW6ZvUCLQOu

04/21/2026

Employment advocacy starts with knowing what's out there and knowing how to evaluate it. 🧡

This month, the Autistic Advocates United community (LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14686006/ ) is taking a look at Hire Autism (hireautism.org), a free program offering a job board, resume guides, interview prep, and one-on-one mentoring for Autistic job seekers.

It also has resources for employers looking to build more autism-friendly workplaces.

As you explore it, bring your critical lens.
- Who leads this organization?
- Whose voices shaped these resources?
Our Evaluating Neurodivergent Support Organizations Checklist can help you think it through: https://umbrellaopensdoors.org/resources/

💬 Have you used Hire Autism or a similar platform?
- What was your experience?
- What employment resources have actually helped you?

Your experiences help the whole community.

Autistic Advocates United was created in partnership with Today's Autistic Moment and Umbrella ND.

04/18/2026

"...everyone deserves safety, nutrition, housing, health care, self-determination, autonomy, community, support, access, and wellness." ~ Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown

Really, what more needs to be said?

Day 18

04/18/2026

Real change doesn’t always happen all at once.
Sometimes it looks like this:

A child beginning to open up.
More sharing.
More connection.
More ease.

💬 “I have followed Kelli for a while and her posts have always been educating and have sparked the desire for me to continue my own education.

Her coaching and SSP was a natural choice for us. She is intuitive, real and kind. I am impressed by how much she can achieve in a short session.

I have seen my child slowly start to open up, share, heal and educate. I look forward to all the future holds with tools and knowledge we are learning.”
— Sara Zellers

Dr. Kelli Grant’s work is grounded in understanding the nervous system, lived experience, and real-world support—not just theory.

Because when people feel safe, supported, and understood…
change becomes possible.

If you’re looking to better support the people in your life—at home, in school, or in your work—

👉 Our upcoming training, Reactive to Responsive, is designed to give you practical tools that actually work. Or reach out for one on one support!

🔗 grantcc.com/trainings

04/18/2026

Most people aren’t taught how to respond.
They’re taught how to manage behavior.

And when that doesn’t work?
They’re left feeling overwhelmed, reactive, and burned out.

There’s a better way.

Reactive to Responsive: The Regulation Revolution is a 3-part workshop series designed to help you:

✔ Stop reacting in high-stress moments
✔ Understand behavior through the nervous system
✔ Support Autistic & ADHD individuals in ways that actually work
✔ Build environments where people feel safe, regulated, and able to thrive

🧠 Led by Dr. Kelli Grant and AJ Locashio, this training bridges:

Academic research

Lived experience

Real-world, practical application

Because support shouldn’t rely on guesswork—it should be grounded in understanding.

📅 April 29 – May 13
⏰ 4:00–7:00 PM
📍 Wichita, KS (Elevate Community Lab)
🎓 9 CE Hours available!

This isn’t compliance-based behavior management.

This is:
Protection → Intervention → Connection

A framework built around how people actually experience the world—and what helps.

If you’ve ever thought:

“I’m tired of reacting.”
“I want to support better, but I don’t know how.”
“I need tools that actually work in real life.”

This training is for you.

👉 Register now:
https://grantcc.com/trainings

04/18/2026

Have you ever looked at a hard day and thought "why can't I just do this?"

Capacibility is the concept from Book 1 of the Self-Advocacy Survival Guide (coming out April 30th!!) that reframes that question entirely. It's not about what's wrong with you. It's about what conditions are currently present AND what's missing.

The Capacibility resources are a two-part set:

The Capacibility Guide walks you through the framework and follows Rivera, a freelance designer navigating a benefits application, through each section. Real answers, real reflection, real advocacy planning.

The Capacibility Assessment is the worksheet itself — a Quick Check-In (5 minutes, before any advocacy interaction) and a Full Assessment (20–30 minutes, for deeper pattern mapping and support planning).

Both are free. No email signup. No paywall.

Watch the overview: https://youtu.be/_LrWBd_RKpg

Access both resources at umbrellaopensdoors.org/resources

Low capacity today is not a verdict on your worth. It's information about current conditions. And conditions shift.

Autistic Advocacy Month

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