Significant APS Grade Policy Update "Arlington Public Schools in Virginia is updating its grading policy, defining the criteria used to determine whether a student is eligible to retake or revise a major assignment, such as a test, project or essay. Starting Jan. 30, middle and high school students who score below an 80% “must
Emma Budway, a 26-year-old autistic woman who is mostly nonverbal, had been living with her parents in Arlington, Va. She longed for her own place, but…
Twice a day, a group of adults with disabilities can be seen walking near Gilliam Place, an affordable housing building where they live. On a Tuesday morning in May, they showed ARLnow their stomping grounds. A recent rain turned everything a bright green, and cicadas droned in the background. This little community on Columbia Pike
Great documentaries really open your eyes and, for those who know little of autism and even some who think they know a lot, The Reason I Jump may prove something of a revelation. This unusual and immersive film from director Jerry Rothwell hopes to shine a light on a hidden world, introducing us…
A scene from the documentary The Reason I Jump. First published in Japan in 2007, “The Reason I Jump” is a memoir written by Naoki Higashida when he was 13-years-old. A nonverbal person with autism, Higashida made use of an alphabet grid his mother developed that allowed him to communicate the thoughts he was never able to express verbally. His words provided an impressionistic, first-person account of living with autism, as the young author attempted to explain to a neurotypical audience what it’s like to see the world through his eyes.
Later translated into English in 2013 by author David Mitchell (“Cloud Atlas”) and his wife K. A. Yoshida, who themselves have a child on the autism spectrum, the book would go on to be translated into 30 different languages and become an international bestseller.