Who it’s for: Educators, clinicians, DEI teams, community organizations, and anyone working with or supporting Black Autistic individuals

Overview: Adaptive masking is a survival strategy that many Black Autistic people navigate daily. Often misunderstood, and frequently confused with code switching, adaptive masking is a form of self-protection shaped by racism, ableism, and the unique risks that Black Autistic individuals face in schools, workplaces, and public spaces.

This presentation provides a grounded, honest look at what adaptive masking is, why it exists, and how it impacts identity, mental health, communication, and safety. We explore how to imagine and build a world where Black Autistic people don’t have to mask, while acknowledging that, until that world exists, harm-reduction practices may still be necessary.

What participants will learn:

A clear definition of adaptive masking and how it differs from code switching

Why adaptive masking is more prevalent, and more dangerous, for Black Autistic individuals

The intersections of racism, ableism, and safety that shape masking behaviors

What harm reduction means in this context, and why teaching some adaptive masking strategies can be an unfortunate but necessary safety measure

Practical ways educators, clinicians, and community members can reduce the need for masking by creating safer, more affirming environments

How to center safety, dignity, and autonomy for Black Autistic people in everyday practices and systems

Why it matters: Adaptive masking is not a moral failing or a lack of authenticity, it is a survival response to systems that have not yet made room for Black Autistic lives to exist safely and fully. Understanding this reality is essential to creating environments where masking isn’t required in the first place.

Who it’s for: Speech–Language Pathologists (school-based or clinical), related service providers, and educators working with neurodivergent students

Overview: This presentation invites SLPs to rethink communication through a lens of equity, cultural humility, and human diversity, guided by a reading and discussion of my #1 New York Times bestseller, A Day With No Words.

The session explores why spoken language is only one mode of communication and why honoring multiple, diverse methods of expression is essential to meaningful, student-centered support. Together, we look at how privilege, identity, and lived experience shape communication access and expectations in educational spaces.

What participants will learn:

Why valuing multiple modes of communication, not just speech, is foundational to affirming neurodivergent students

How to examine privilege, cultural humility, and the intersections between culture, neurotype, economics, and lived experience

Practical ways school-based SLPs can integrate A Day With No Words into therapy sessions, family engagement, and inclusive classroom collaboration

How to support families in embracing and celebrating their child’s full communication profile

Why it matters: When SLPs expand what communication can look like, and honor every student’s way of expressing themselves, they help build learning environments rooted in dignity, access, and belonging.

Who it’s for: Parents looking to advocate effectively for their children

Overview: Storytelling isn’t just for sharing, it’s a powerful tool for change. Storytime, But Make It Advocacy empowers parents to harness the power of their personal stories to advocate confidently for their children’s needs. By framing narratives in ways that resonate with educators, healthcare providers, and community members, parents can foster empathy, understanding, and stronger connections.

What participants will learn:

How to use storytelling as an advocacy tool

Techniques to clearly articulate your child’s challenges, goals, and aspirations

Strategies for building understanding and support in schools, healthcare, and community spaces

Why it matters: When parents tell their stories with clarity and purpose, they create space for equitable access to resources and opportunities, helping their children thrive.

Who it’s for: Educators, clinicians, service providers, advocates, DEI leaders, policy influencers, and anyone seeking to better support Black, Autistic, and Nonspeaking individuals through equitable, inclusive systems.

Overview: Intersectionality is more than a framework, it is a lens that reveals how overlapping identities shape lived experience, access, and opportunity. This session examines the intersections of race, autism, and nonspeaking communication, offering a deeper understanding of how multi-marginalized groups navigate systems that were not built with them in mind. Participants will explore what true inclusion looks like when we consider the full complexity of identity and support needs.

What participants will learn:

What intersectionality is and why it is essential for designing equitable systems

The experiences and unique needs of Black, Autistic, and Nonspeaking individuals

How systemic barriers are created—and how to disrupt them

Practical strategies for cultivating meaningful access and inclusion across educational, clinical, and community spaces

Actionable steps to shift from performative inclusion to transformative, sustainable change

Why it matters: When we understand intersectionality, we uncover the gaps that standard approaches overlook. Supporting multi-marginalized communities requires intention, nuance, and accountability. This offering empowers participants to create systems that recognize the full humanity of those they serve, and ensure that access and inclusion are not privileges, but rights.

Who it’s for: Educators, school leaders, clinicians, therapists, service providers, advocates, diversity and equity professionals, and anyone working to build learning environments that honor the full identities of autistic and disabled students, especially those from marginalized racial and cultural backgrounds.

Overview: Intersectionality, cultural humility, and neurodiversity are often discussed as separate ideas, but in practice, they are inseparable. This session examines how race, disability, communication differences, and culture overlap to shape the educational experiences of autistic students, particularly Black autistic and nonspeaking learners. Participants will explore why traditional “cultural competence” frequently falls short, how cultural humility shifts the power dynamic, and what true inclusion requires beyond simply placing students in general education spaces. Drawing from lived experience and systemic analysis, this offering exposes the structural and perceptual barriers that prevent genuine access, and outlines what must change to create learning environments rooted in equity, dignity, and belonging.

What participants will learn:

What intersectionality actually is, why it matters, and how it reveals the complexity of students’ identities

How privilege and oppression operate together across race, disability, communication style, and social systems

The relationship, and gaps, between neurodiversity and intersectionality

Why “cultural competence” often reinforces bias, and how cultural humility creates space for authentic understanding

Key principles of cultural humility, including self-reflection, addressing power imbalances, and forming equitable partnerships

The difference between inclusion and integration, and why many schools are still practicing the latter

How structural barriers (policy, access, systems of care) and perceptual barriers (assumptions, stereotypes, low expectations) shape disabled students’ educational paths

Actionable ways schools and professionals can shift from performative inclusion to meaningful, culturally grounded, student-centered support

Why it matters: Educational systems often focus on a single identity, race or disability, speech or support needs, and overlook the students who live at the intersections. When schools default to “competence” over humility, or integration over inclusion, they miss the humanity and brilliance of the students they aim to serve. Understanding intersectionality and practicing cultural humility equips educators and professionals to listen more deeply, support more responsibly, and build systems that do not require students to shrink themselves to belong. This offering helps participants transform their work so every student is seen, heard, and supported in the fullness of who they are.

Who it’s for: Educators, administrators, school staff, and anyone committed to building inclusive learning environments

Overview: Intersectionality and Cultural Humility in Special Education is designed as a starting point, a space to spark conversations, challenge assumptions, and reimagine what true inclusivity can look like for all students, regardless of neurotype. This session isn’t the final answer; it’s an invitation to deepen understanding, expand perspective, and breathe new life into conversations around equity, access, and identity in education.

We explore how multiple identities shape a student’s lived experience, how cultural humility differs from cultural competence, and why presuming competence is not only best practice but an essential mindset for equitable teaching.

What participants will learn:

A grounded understanding of intersectionality and why oversimplified labels can limit student identity

The difference between cultural humility and cultural competence, and why humility is the goal

The meaning and practice of presuming competence, especially for neurodivergent and disabled students

How presumption of competence informs teaching, expectations, and classroom culture

The intersectional barriers students face in accessing support, resources, and equitable care

Why intersectional work is essential to educational equity

How ableism and access shape student experiences

Why inclusion is not expansion, it’s transformation

Practical ways to integrate more intersectional, student-centered approaches in daily practice

Why it matters: Creating inclusive classrooms requires more than policy, it requires perspective shifts. When educators recognize intersectional identities and approach students with cultural humility, they help dismantle barriers, reimagine access, and build learning spaces where every student’s full humanity is acknowledged and honored.

Who it’s for: Self-advocates, and those supporting self-advocates in telling their own stories

Overview: The stories we tell, whether lived, remembered, or still being written, have the power to define us. Stories that Speak: Advocacy from Within explores storytelling as a tool for self-understanding, self-advocacy, and claiming space for your truth.

What participants will learn:

How to tell your story from within, rather than for approval or translation

Ways storytelling shapes identity and empowers self-expression

Techniques to create space for your own truth to exist

Why it matters: Storytelling isn’t just communication, it’s a practice of claiming who you are and advocating for yourself on your own terms.

If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for in the list above, no worries, I create custom presentations, workshops, and training packages tailored to your specific needs. Whether it’s a school, a conference, a nonprofit team, or a community event, we can design something that’s just right for you.

Here’s how it works:

You reach out: Send me a message with some details about your event, audience, goals, and any ideas you already have.

We brainstorm together: I’ll work with you (virtually or in person) to co-create an outline and session plan that reflects your values and objectives.

I build your package: Based on our conversation, I’ll craft a proposal with topics, structure, time frame, and pricing, totally customized.

You decide: You review the package, suggest edits, and once you’re happy, we finalize it and move forward.

Why choose a custom session?

Every organization, school, and audience is different. A tailored presentation ensures the content is deeply relevant, not “one size fits all.”

You get a truly collaborative experience, your goals + my expertise = impact.

Flexibility is built in: session length, format, and style adapt to what works best for your team or event.

Ready to talk?

Please contact me through the form on fidgetsandfries.co (or via email: tiffy@fidgetsandfries.co) and tell me a bit about your event, and I’ll get back to you within a few days with ideas + a custom proposal.