Autism Goes To College
Autism Goes To College
EPISODE 17: Behind the scenes with first nonspeaking UC Berkeley grad - communication access, allies, and persistence
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David Teplitz was determined to go to UCBerkeley, and he did it, graduating in May with a degree in political science. David is on the spectrum and has severe apraxia. That means -- in his case-- he is verbal but doesn't speak. Hear David explain how he got in and managed his class load with the help of many aids and communication devices. David also offers insights about academics, connecting with professors and peers on campus and online, and how he navigated his college experience. He does mention Stanford, too. Spoiler alert: Cal won that game.
Hey everyone, thanks for joining us for this episode of Autism Goes to College, the podcast for students on the spectrum and everyone who supports us. Navigating college is always a challenge, so here are the hacks, insights, and great ideas you've been looking for to make college work for you. We're a group of self-advocates, we all graduated, or we're almost there, and you can do this too.
SPEAKER_00Hi, I'm David Teplitz. Thank you for listening to our podcast, Autism Goes to College. In May, I graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in political science and a minor in disability studies. I am the first non-speaking autistic student to graduate from Berkeley, and on this episode of the podcast, I'll tell you all about my experience using my iPad with a text-to-speech app called Natural Reader. I'm here with Eric Lindhorst, the director of the film Autism Goes to College. Eric will take it from here.
SPEAKER_01Thank you, David. Before we jump into the conversation, a little about this podcast and our project. Autism Goes to College began as a documentary film following five college students on the spectrum as they navigate college life. I directed the film and the film premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival in 2019. We were also selected to screen at South by Southwest EDU, which of course happened online. At the end of this episode, I'll give some details on where you can see the film today, and it's all at our website, autismgoes to college.org. So with screenings limited since the pandemic began, we wanted to open up the conversation and created this podcast, which launched during Autism Awareness Month in April last year. During our first season, we caught up with the stars of the film, talking more in depth about their college experiences and talking about what they are up to. And since then, we've talked to someone who transferred after starting his freshman year at the University of Oregon last fall, a senior who graduated from the University of Missouri in St. Louis this past spring, plus a college counselor, a parent perspective, and insights from a certificate student at the University of Nevada at Reno. All college students on the spectrum, all over the map, sharing all kinds of experiences. Every month we drop a new episode. What's also new is we have a resource center on our website with dozens of outtakes of important stuff from the film and stuff that didn't make it into the film, all the podcast episodes and blogs from experts and our student advisors from the film. Fun fact, this project was recognized as the best of the internet in 2022 by the Webby Awards Anthem Awards, winning gold for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we keep making it better. So reach out if you'd like to get involved. And in this episode, David Teplitz, who is our first non-speaking autistic student who communicates by spelling, which is why when David answers our questions, he will do so with the aid of his AAC device. He is here fresh off graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, and will share his college experiences as a non-speaking student. David, thank you so much for being here. I want to get to your college experiences, obviously, but I want to start with a little bit of background. Can you tell me a little bit about your earlier schooling? Where did you grow up and what was school like for you as a child?
SPEAKER_00I grew up in Oakland, California. I attended Oakland public schools all the way from kindergarten through high school. I was very fortunate to have always been included in a classroom. Most non-speaking autistics never have access to a proper education. This was not easy at first. My parents had to fight the district to allow me access to our neighborhood kindergarten. Once that legal battle was over, the district was actually quite generous with resources for me. I attended school with an aide who was specifically trained to work with me. The reason that I had access to school was that my private therapists had figured out a way to teach me to type for communication and I could therefore demonstrate my academic abilities. This was very rare back then and while increasing, is still rare now. Most people like me are considered intellectually disabled and are warehoused in special education settings that don't meet their needs. I was fortunate that my parents were able to supply me with private therapies. Income inequality affects outcomes for people like me even more than in the general population. I was treated well by my classmates and most of my teachers in school. I was included in most school activities but my social life was not filled with the normal childhood activities. I had friends and a few even invited me to their parties, but my mode of communication and behaviors can be very isolating. Participating in sports, even ones adapted for me, is difficult. Some of my teachers were initially doubtful of my abilities, but I could quickly win them over. Ironically, it was at Cal that no one ever questioned my abilities. And how did you decide that you wanted to go to UC Berkeley? Ever since I can remember, I had wanted to go to Cal. My father and uncles attended there, and I can actually see the campus from my house. I love the surprised expression on people's faces when they hear that I attend UC Berkeley. I, much to my parents' objections, only applied to one university and that was Cal. Everyone was amazed when I got in, but not me.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so you said you only applied to Cal, which um is risky. Uh what was that negotiation like with your folks? How how did you convince them um to only to let you only apply to Cal?
SPEAKER_00My father had also only applied to Cal. My parents told me that it was now much more difficult to get accepted into Cal than it was in 1979, but I wouldn't listen. They just gave up and said, okay. I did not want to go anywhere else. Of course, if they had not accepted me, I would have figured something out. And did you live on campus? I did not live on campus. I still live with my parents and brother in Oakland, which is close to the UC Berkeley campus.
SPEAKER_01So I'm wondering if you can can share with us a little bit what your experience was like as a non-speaking student at UC Berkeley.
SPEAKER_00Going to Cal was a wonderful experience for me. Everyone was very welcoming. Cal is the birthplace of the disability rights movement, and their dedication to this cause is still strong. Also, Berkeley being Berkeley, no one looks at you strangely when odd autistic behaviors take over. I loved being in classrooms that have educated Nobel laureates. The campus is beautiful and I loved the energy there.
SPEAKER_01And how were you treated by classmates and professors or your teachers?
SPEAKER_00I was treated very well by my professors and graduate student instructors. They were always nice to me and let me use my accommodation so that I could participate in the classes. I have had many terrific professors at Berkeley. My classmates were also very supportive. Here is one example. Moving to online classes during the pandemic was hard for me. One of the hardest parts of online classes was participating in small groups during discussion section. It was hard because my typing is very slow, so sometimes the group had already moved on to another topic by the time I typed my response. It was great when classmates would read my response in the chat to the group. This always made me feel very included in the discussion.
SPEAKER_01And can you tell us a little bit about the support system you had? For example, how many aides uh did you typically work with and and how did you find them?
SPEAKER_00I work with one aide right now. I have worked with this aide for the past few years. I worked with two different aides before that during my first years at Berkeley. I have worked with a lot of different aides in the past. I have found aides in many different places like university job listings, Craigslist, and people that my current or past aides knew. I got to interview my aides before I started working with them.
SPEAKER_01So, how does it actually work as a speller working with an aide? Is that person a communication partner or something more? And does that person need a lot of training to be able to do their job?
SPEAKER_00My aide does help me get prompted to type by helping me set up my iPad, etc., but they also help me in every aspect of my daily life. My apraxia is very severe and I have trouble initiating many actions. As far as university goes, they drive me to campus, help me get to the classroom, and help me keep my body regulated with their calming presence. It does take time for me to feel comfortable with my aides. We need to work together in order for me to be able to type. I just can't sit with a stranger and type immediately, but I can usually do it within a day or two if I like the person. I prefer gentle people to work and type with. We do not have a formal typing training protocol. My old aide and my mom just have the new aide follow them through a day or two before we start. I have had many aides in my life, perhaps 50 to date. I think this is a great thing. Many spellers only communicate with their moms, and while I know sometimes this happens because of the expense of hiring aides, I think it is not good for the speller. I like having an aide who is my age and just looks like another college student with me. If you only type with one person, I think it is easier for someone to question the authenticity of your typing. Also, who wants their mom following them around all day?
SPEAKER_01And maybe you could share with us what was your best, I don't know, maybe unexpected experience in college.
SPEAKER_00I think my favorite moment was going to the big game this year and watching the Bears beat Stanford. It was a rare Calwin. But seriously, my favorite thing was having a fellow typer as a classmate for the first time. I cannot describe how great it is just to have a real friend. And how did you navigate choosing a major? I thought that political science would be very interesting to learn about. It was a good major for me because all of the assignments are written like essays. This was better for me than math or something else where I would need to draw a lot of symbols and graphs.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's really interesting. Is there something you wish you had known from the beginning that you that would have made college easier for you? Sort of like what were the biggest challenges or adjustments for you?
SPEAKER_00I had to learn to write essays the way that my professors wanted for political science. I also learned that it was easier for me to participate in discussion classes if I asked my teachers for some questions they were going to ask so I could work on writing my responses before class instead of spending a lot of time trying to type during the class.
SPEAKER_01And what was it like to to graduate from Cal? And also, you know, what are your plans now?
SPEAKER_00I felt very proud when I graduated from Cal. The graduation ceremonies were so exciting for me. I had worked so hard to do well earning a 3.83 GPA. I hope that my graduating from Cal shows other non-speaking autistics who want to attend college that it is possible. After my graduation, people from all over the country were congratulating me. I am not sure about my future career goals, right now I just want to take a vacation. But I do know that I want to work to provide other non-speakers like myself access to both a communication method and an education. Who knows, maybe I'll go to law school.
SPEAKER_01Well, thank you so much, David, for sharing your experiences, and that is our show for today. Thank you so much for listening, following us on Instagram and Facebook, and thank you especially for adding your reviews on Apple Podcasts. Our show is very specifically for students on the spectrum navigating college, and we really appreciate the appreciation for Autism Goes to College. And now, as promised, here are ways to see the film. The documentary film Autism Goes to College is currently available through many channels, but the easiest way to see it today is to rent it on Vimeo on Demand, which you can access from your Apple TV or most smart TVs by going to the Vimeo on Demand app. You can find a link on our website at www.autismgoes to college.org. The film is also available for educational use and for live and hybrid screening events. All the relevant info and links can be found on our website. And don't forget about our brand new online resource center. It is chocked full of resources, student stories, blogs, and more, and you can find it all at autismgoes to college.org. And lastly, don't forget, please follow us on Instagram to stay current and consider joining our vibrant community on Facebook. Thank you for listening.
SPEAKER_02Hey, thanks for listening to Autism Goes to College. We'd love to hear from you about what you'd like to hear more about. You can find us on Instagram and Twitter at Autism Goes to College. Hit us up with your thoughts, tell us what's going on on your campus and in your college life. To see the documentary film or set up a screening, check out our website at autismgoes to college.org.