Lifting the Stigma from Autism

For example the following people have reported that they have Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome (a high-functioning form of autism). Just look at the wonderful things they’ve accomplished!

• Danny Beath, award-winning British landscape and wildlife photographer
• Susan Boyle, British singer and Britain’s Got Talent finalist
• Daryl Hannah, actress
• Temple Grandin, food animal handling systems designer and author
• Tim Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and author
• And now we can add one more…Julia on Sesame Street!

She’s an orange-haired, green-eyed girl, and she appeared for the first time in an online book entitled, “We’re Amazing, 1, 2, 3!” It was written by Leslie Zimmerman, whose son was diagnosed with autism 20 years ago. She writes, “I knew nothing about autism…it seemed that those around me—even the professionals—didn’t know much either.”

Julia is part of Sesame Street’s new autism-awareness initiative called, Sesame Street and Autism: See All in Amazing Children, which was launched Wednesday, October 21, 2015. Sesame Street is encouraging friends and families to keep the conversation going with the social media hashtag #SeeAmazing. “This project is an extension of the belief we’ve always promoted: ‘we are all different, but all the same’”, said Sherrie Westin, executive president of global impact and philanthropy at Sesame Workshop.