Autistic Community Fellows

Noel Barrera (they/he/xe) is an interdisciplinary artist, researcher and writer currently living in Brooklyn. They enjoy playing the harp, baking, and making collages in their spare time; Noel's research interests include critical disability and neurodivergence studies, ethnography, and contemporary queer history-making practices.

Deb(orah) Coffy (they/she) is a Black, queer, non-binary Haitian American peer supporter, writer, creative, and researcher based in Orlando, FL. As a life-long activist, they began their work by knocking on doors and phone banking for local, state, and federal political campaigns. As the assistant student director and culture director for the Multicultural Student Center, they uplifted Black and Queer issues and representation on campus by creating the first Afro Knights event showcasing Black Queer musicians in the Orlando area and alternative band, BLACKSTARKIDZ, and co-created the first Women’s Market Day Event in 2023. Deb continued their work through organizations such as the Queer Trans Project, Healthy Teen Network, Black Girls Smile, the Black LGBTQ+ Migrant Project, The Transgender Law Center, Community Change, and Brown Boi Project. In 2024, They were a communications fellow for Community Change writing about low-income issues, social justice, LGBTQ+ folks, and Black people. Currently, they are a certified recovery peer support specialist in the State of Florida where they provide peer respite support at Eva’s Casita, the first peer respite in Central Florida.

Carl A. Frizell, DMSc, MSPAS, PA-C (he/him): I am a late-diagnosed autistic NCCPA-certified Physician Assistant (PA) and former PA educator with over nine years of diverse clinical and academic experience. After completing my Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2015, I embarked on a transformative healthcare journey that evolved into passionate advocacy for neurodivergent individuals and disability justice. My clinical background includes serving in Medical Oncology at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America and Occupational Medicine at the University of South Alabama Health System, including vital work at the COVID-19 Infusion Clinic during the pandemic. From 2019 to 2024, I contributed to PA education, inspired by my impact as a clinical preceptor. I enhanced my academic credentials with a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) from the University of Lynchburg in 2020, developing innovative curricula focused on equitable care, motivational interviewing, and comprehensive physical examination techniques. The PA Education Association recognized this work with the New Faculty Award 2022. My autism diagnosis, received after experiencing ableism in healthcare education, became a catalyst for change, empowering me to redirect my focus toward disability justice advocacy and self-advocacy as a neurodivergent person. This pivotal experience led me to transition from PA education to dedicated disability justice work. I am pursuing a PhD in Change Leadership with a concentration in Community Leadership at the University of Central Arkansas, where I continue advocating for systemic change and a greater understanding of neurodivergent perspectives in healthcare.

Personal Reflection: The Kintsugi Journey

Like the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold to create something more beautiful, my journey reflects the transformative power of adversity. I see myself as a porcelain sculpture adorned with golden veins of experience—where green and purple reflect the institutional trauma I encountered during my graduate studies and professional career while I was undiagnosed. In contrast, the gold symbolizes the healing and enlightenment I am experiencing through my PhD journey in Change Leadership. My commitment extends beyond academic pursuit to creating accessible spaces where others can thrive without experiencing similar fractures. Through my research, published works, and advocacy, I continue working to dismantle ableist structures and promote acceptance and understanding of autistic and neurodivergent individuals in healthcare and beyond.

Image description: Dr. Carl Frizell in a professional headshot against a light background, wearing a navy blue suit with a white dress shirt and a diagonal-striped bow tie in blue and purple tones. His warm, engaging smile conveys approachability and warmth. A purple awareness ribbon pin adorns his lapel, worn in loving memory of his mother who passed away from pancreatic cancer complications in 2011. The image captures both his professional presence and personal commitment to honoring his mother's memory through pancreatic cancer awareness.

Mary Addison Hackett (she/her) is an artist whose practice spans painting, photography, video, and writing. Her work addresses issues of self-representation while examining mundane aspects of contemporary and domestic life.  Prompted by curiosity and temporal moments in the everyday, her recent work moves beyond the traditional studio as the site of production to explore a range of actions that serve as mediations between art and life. She is a late-diagnosed, Autistic self-advocate. Hackett has exhibited and screened her work at museums, film festivals, commercial galleries, and non-profit spaces since the early 90s. Her work has been supported by a 2024 Current Art Fund Grant, a regranting program administered by Tri-Star Arts through the Andy Warhol Foundation, Desert X Artist Relief Fund, a BAVC (Bay Area Video Coalition) preservation grant, and residencies in the United States and abroad. She is a 2022 Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship Grant nominee. Alongside her arts practice, she has been involved in community outreach and served on boards and committees of not-for-profit arts organizations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Joshua Tree, California, and Nashville. Hackett earned her MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her BFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Image Description: "Untitled (Kitchen Aid, November 10, 2022)" is a digital photograph of a cluttered kitchen countertop with a KitchenAid mixer, a caulking gun, a plant with exposed roots, food items, and various household objects such as a moka pot, a can of paint, a medicine bottle, and a small cloth with dirt stains. A shelf with a medicine bottle and a wall-mounted antique tool holding flowers are visible in the background. The scene suggests a mix of cooking, DIY home maintenance repairs, and plant care.

My name is Ellie and my last name is Lansky. My Pronouns are She/Her. I am from memphis tn and i live in germantown tn and i Love photography and i love to make others happy and to spread positivity and i want to help other autistic people specifically others with moderate and high support needs and to help other disabled people and to advocate for us all and to advocate for aiding in bettering the environment of the earth and protecting nature and activism both in disability rights and also in pro nature and earthloving movements and peace. And my special interests are Sesame Street, Legos, Photography (which is also my natural skill i have my parents to thank for that) and also i love the hippie movements of the 1960s and protecting mother nature and civil rights its very important. I included my photography one first one is my dear doe fawn friends.  (i have more that i would would very much love to show you all because it brings me great joy to show my art i have all sorts of beautiful pictures <3 ) Also I show my sesame street lego set i got for my BirthDay Party present from my mommy and my daddy it is the best set i think i have ever built it brings  my me very much joy in life especially every day when i look at it especially Ernie and Bert and Berts paperclip collection and Ernies Rubber ducky Lastly, I am posted my Picture of me in our back yard on snowyday near the Mock Apartment my parents made for me me from a old poolhouse that is help me to be learn to be independent in life which is a huge feat for me because i struggle a lot with my autism and other disabilities including learning disabilities so even just things like i recently took 2 showers on my own including hair wash and body wash and all at in one go!!!!! That was a HUGE WIN for me!!!! the one thing i majorly struggle with is transitions in ADLS. I think i am typing so too much maybe but i wanted to you guys get to know me as a person and i am very glad to be on the team and super duper excited to get to know everyone and maybe we can have life long friendships from this wonderful fellowship!!!

Akane Little (they) is a Brooklyn-based dance artist approaching the body and performance as an altar-portal for transmuting energy and channeling worlds. They started off in competition dance in a small-town studio in Mississippi, and have since studied under Alysia Ramos at Oberlin College, and freelanced as a contemporary dance artist in both Cleveland, OH and New York City. Recent credits include collaborations with Sue de Beer, Nick Brookes, Chaesong Kim, and Carolina Oliveros. Since 2023, they have been training and performing with LEIMAY under the direction of Ximena Garnica & Shige Moriya. 

Image description: A photo of Akane leaning their cheek on one fist and gazing into the camera. They are East Asian, and their black hair is shaved. They are wearing a white tank top and have tattoos on their forearm. (Photo by Mengwen Cao, Courtesy A4)

Maddox (they/he) is a Autistic rare disease patient, mobility aid user, and proud member of the Mad/psychiatric survivor community. After changing their major over 10 times, they have finally settled on studying paralegal technology at a community college in North Carolina. He is a member of the Young Adult Rare Representatives, a member of the National Disabled Legal Professionals Association, peer mentor for queer and/or disabled youth, and a passionate starter of projects he never seems to finish. In the past, he has worked as a diversity educator, with Centers for Independent Living, with the local community theatre, as a campus peer minister, and at one point was trusted to teach middle schoolers aerospace science despite not having a single idea what aerospace meant when asked too. When he actually listens to his therapist about slowing down, he enjoys playing Minecraft, watching other people play Minecraft, and explaining to people how to play Minecraft. They do not enjoy having to fix the TV when their cats knock it over or knock out the cords while watching Minecraft videos.

Image description: Maddox is a androgynous presenting white person with red hair, freckles, eczema on their face, and wire frame bifocal glasses. They are wearing a purple hoodie, with the background being some displays at their local library

Jace Mercutio (He/Him) is a high needs/high masking Autistic writer, author, public speaker, advocate and community builder who seeks to build bridges by teaching intersectionality and inclusion. His main mission in life is to inspire hope through the sharing of his and others’ stories, and raise awareness about the lived experiences of people with marginalized identity. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his tiny service dog and is a cornerstone of a tight-knit in-person community built on the values of Diversity. Jace's special interests include cults, doll-making and doll-collecting. His comfort food is macaroni and cheese.

Susan Sasson (she/her): I currently live in Brooklyn, NY and work as a Peer Specialist. I love art-making and art-sharing, going on immersive nature walks, cats and self-directed learning adventures in various topics of interest.

Image description: An adult woman in her late 20s with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail is standing beside a blue rental bicycle on a paved path in a park. She is smiling and is looking toward the camera from a sideway angle. She is wearing a white sweater with a black geometric pattern and a black skirt. A plaid brown and yellow jacket is folded in the bicycle's front basket but puffs out of the basket . The background features a park with trees showing autumn colors of oranges, browns and green trees. A road with cyclists wearing helmets, and a few pedestrians walking along a path. The setting has early evening sunlight.

Marrok Sedgwick, PhD, MFA (he/they), is a Program Manager at CommunicationFIRST, the only nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people who cannot rely on speech alone to be heard and understood. Marrok completed his PhD in Learning Sciences, the science of human learning, in May 2024, at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research showed that autistic AAC users use stimming, photography, AAC, and pursuit of interests to learn about the world. Marrok has produced and directed award-winning documentary films that center the stories of autistic people. These include Best Short at the 2020 Society for Visual Anthropology Film Festival for People Like Me, and the PK Walker Innovation Award at the 2018 Superfest International Disability Film Festival for Stim. In addition to his PhD, Marrok has the MFA in Social Documentation is from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Bachelor of Science in Decision Science from Carnegie Mellon University. Marrok is always looking for opportunities to advocate for the rights and inclusion of AAC users and people with intellectual disabilities. Marrok is a queer, trans, and multiply-disabled autistic person who became a full-time AAC user as an adult after acquiring an additional neurological disability. He remains engaged in animal welfare and LGBT+ volunteering and activism in addition to his professional focus on supporting the rights and self-determination of AAC users.

Image description: A masculine-presenting white person smiles into the camera. They wear a helmet and glasses, and hold the reins of a horse in one hand. Below them a brown horse with a black mane looks up at the camera with ears pointing in different directions. In the background a weather-worn riding arena is surrounded by oak trees.

Tori (she/they): I'm a curious person who loves to dive deep into research about my special interests. But more than that, I love when my research benefits others. I also love reading books but I'm super picky about what I choose to read to the point that nearly 80% of time I choose to DNF, or 'do not finish', a book.

Image description: A multi-colored cat with streaks of dark brown, tan, and white fur, sleeping peacefully with eyes closed on a black and dark blue sleeved arm.

Sharif Youssef (they/them) is a writer, editor, producer, photographer, designer, engineer, and artist working in the media of sound, visuals, and words — often at the same time! Their work has appeared in such outlets as This American Life, 99% Invisible, NBC, and New York Magazine among others. They are from Wheeling, West Virginia by way of Alexandria, Egypt and now call Oakland, California home. Nelzon is their dog and is also the best girl.