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From the Co-Founders of Naturally Autistic ®<br />

Welcome to Naturally Autistic ® by Leonora Gregory–Collura<br />

In this third Spring Issue for the<br />

Naturally Autistic magazine and including<br />

the Fall Issues, our 10th issue<br />

of the magazine in total, readership<br />

and contributors continue to fulfill<br />

their dreams as well as appreciate<br />

opportunities to connect and partner<br />

with the global community. Content<br />

submitted is timeless and inspiring!<br />

Each magazine suggests another<br />

global path on this wonderful journey<br />

of emergence, establishing the autistic<br />

culture into the realms of societal<br />

cultures.<br />

The theme for this issue , “Cultural<br />

Harmonics”, was inspired by our guest<br />

lead contributing writer Vell Baria<br />

from the Philippines. Vell was a 2016<br />

Official Nominee for the INAP AWARD<br />

for the performing arts going back to<br />

the Philippines representing her country<br />

as AWARD recipient and <strong>ANCA</strong> ®<br />

World Ambassador. As she states in<br />

the opening paragraph of her article,<br />

“Cultural Harmonics”: “In my definition<br />

and perspective, Harmonics is living<br />

together in universal harmony.”<br />

And in this issue you can hear the<br />

voices of shared experiences exemplifying<br />

this message from the ‘Letters<br />

to the Editor”, using one’s gift to<br />

find opportunities to engage as artist/entrepreneur<br />

Elizabeth Pritchard<br />

writes about in her article, sharing<br />

“My Home: My Fairy Jam Jar” to “On<br />

the Move” from Texas to the Pacific<br />

Northwest - finding places to ‘nest’<br />

and what it means to those of us living<br />

the autistic spectrum. The insights<br />

provided by delegates at the <strong>ANCA</strong> ®<br />

World Autism Festival’s 7th annual international<br />

event shines a contrasting<br />

light on the <strong>ANCA</strong> ® experience where<br />

people convene and have distinct<br />

interconnecting ‘shared human’ experiences<br />

no matter what culture, religion,<br />

or geographic land mass they<br />

venture from. A Message from Manila<br />

invokes this sentiment as do the Workshop<br />

& Trade Show reviews.<br />

I hope you enjoy our timeless magazines,<br />

all of which are now available<br />

online compliments of <strong>ANCA</strong> ® . And<br />

to the delegates attending this year’s<br />

8th annual AWAF event, we look forward<br />

to providing yet another incredible<br />

event filled with opportunities,<br />

fun, and joyous celebrations! So that<br />

you too may continue to raise the<br />

bar in your communities and take the<br />

very special gifts of exchanges experienced<br />

at the festival back home<br />

with you, expanding your horizons as<br />

many before you have done. •<br />

Our Autistic Community by Charlie Collura<br />

In a world filled with noise, misunder-standing<br />

and constant distraction—which<br />

appears to be<br />

spreading at an ever-accelerating<br />

rate—the idea of people from different<br />

cultural backgrounds and life experience,<br />

sharing their understanding<br />

of the world, working together in<br />

peace and harmony appears more<br />

ideological concept than some materially<br />

achievable outcome.<br />

Yet, this cultural harmony involving<br />

elements of peace, conscientiousness,<br />

and a concordance of<br />

words and action is finding expression<br />

among a truly international<br />

community of people—autistic people.<br />

While a dwindling number continue<br />

to roam aimlessly in search of<br />

some solution to what they perceive<br />

as the ‘autism enigma’, the autistic<br />

community continues to bring forth<br />

beauty, creativity and harmony in all<br />

they do.<br />

In the spring of 2017, the autistic<br />

community gathered together in Turkey,<br />

USA, Taiwan and the Philippines<br />

for the <strong>ANCA</strong> ® World Autism Festival<br />

Kick-Off events.<br />

Each gathering and celebration<br />

had a special focus. Otisium in Alanya,<br />

Turkey brought together families,<br />

government officials and community<br />

partners to celebrate autism in sports<br />

and music. AutismHWY in California,<br />

USA, in partnership with the town of<br />

Covina, showcased autistic talents<br />

during the AutismHWY Chalk Festival.<br />

In Manila, Philippines, we witnessed<br />

autistic people opening art<br />

galleries, showcasing art and collaborative<br />

efforts in fashion design;<br />

while in Taipei, Taiwan, in partnership<br />

with 62icon demonstrations of<br />

how autistic artists are creating and<br />

running their own businesses using<br />

their abilities to design everything<br />

from fashion umbrellas to mugs, t-<br />

shirts, aprons, canvas art and much<br />

more. All the while the autistic community<br />

is busy creating ever more<br />

collaborations on present and<br />

future projects, leading the way<br />

to greater cross cultural harmony,<br />

peace, and understanding.<br />

We hope you find inspiration in the<br />

articles, features, and letters to the<br />

editor in this edition of Naturally Autistic<br />

magazine. •<br />

2016 AWAF<br />

www.naturallyautistic.com |<br />

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