Two prominent autism advocates appeared at The Loft Cinema in Tucson last week for a sold out screening of "The Reason I Jump," speaking to an audience that included autistic people and their families about representation, employment and the future of neurodiversity advocacy.

Panelists included animator and entrepreneur Dani Bowman and author John Elder Robison. The event was moderated by Loft Cinema Program Director Jeff Yanc.

The screening, co-presented by Intermountain Centers for Human Development and The Loft Cinema, took place April 30 as part of World Autism Month. Intermountain Centers is a Tucson-based nonprofit that provides behavioral health, autism, foster care, and other human services to thousands of Arizonans each year.

"The Reason I Jump," a 2021 Sundance award-winning documentary directed by Jerry Rothwell and based on Naoki Higashida's bestselling memoir, follows the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world, with Higashida's words as a guide to his inner life.

Bowman, who stars in the Netflix series "Love on the Spectrum" and founded Danimation, an animation training program for people on the autism spectrum, joined Robison for what both described as their first reunion since meeting more than a decade ago through an Autism Speaks committee when Bowman was around 14.

Robison, currently neurodiversity scholar in residence at the College of William and Mary, told the audience that the two represent different generations of autism awareness.

He was not diagnosed until adulthood, when a therapist handed him a copy of Tony Attwood's "Asperger Syndrome" with dozens of Post-it notes marking passages. Bowman was diagnosed at five or six but said she didn't understand what it meant until age 11 or 12, when an aunt explained it to her using the children's book "Dear Charlie."

"Autism is just a different way of thinking," Bowman said, paraphrasing her aunt's words. "It's just a different part of me, like having brown hair or hazel eyes."

Bowman described Danimation's work helping people on the autism spectrum turn animation skills into careers through one-on-one instruction and summer camps.

The organization has produced seven training modules for Stanford Medicine's Neurodiversity Project and has held workshops in the United Kingdom. She said 89% of adults with disabilities are unemployed or underemployed, citing federal labor statistics.

"We don't just wait for the opportunity to happen," she said. "We just go for it."

Robison, who operates an automotive restoration and service complex in Springfield, Massachusetts, and serves as vice chairman of the Eastern States Exposition, the fourth-largest state fair in North America, made a similar point about how neurodivergent employees fit into his organizations.

"They're not there because they're neurodivergent," he said. "They're there because they are good, valuable members of our team."

Robison also addressed non-speaking autistic people as what he called "the next frontier" in advocacy. He told the audience that earlier in the day a non-speaking autistic man from Tucson had come to his hotel to meet him and communicated using a letter board.

"There is no biological difference between him and me or you," Robison said. "It's only by the grace of God that I can speak and he can't."

On the question of representation, Bowman pointed to "Love on the Spectrum" as a model, and contrasted it with fictional autistic characters like Sheldon Cooper from "The Big Bang Theory" and the title character of "Rain Man," neither of whom was portrayed by an autistic actor.

"Authentic representation happens when you include people on the autism spectrum in front of and behind the camera," she said.

Robison drew a parallel to broader civil rights principles.

"If you want to know what life is like for autistic people, you ask an autistic person," he said. "Nothing about us, without us."

Both said they hope the event continues a conversation that extends well beyond the screening.

Bowman is hoping to eventually open a brick-and-mortar location for Danimation and to produce an animated feature film. Robison said his focus will remain on elevating non-speaking autistic people within the advocacy community.

When asked about a possible fifth season of "Love on the Spectrum," Bowman smiled but declined to confirm anything.

"It's a work in progress," she said. "I can't tell you anything yet."

Caitlin Schmidt is Editor and Publisher of Tucson Spotlight. Contact her at caitlin@tucsonspotlight.org.

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