Making a Place at the Table
Darcy King and Taylor Saunders hope to fill the gaps in services for adults diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Heather Swanson, '17, '21
Heather Swanson seems to have boundless energy. She has held a fellowship from the Simon Family Endowment over the past year. She was named to the Husky 100. She has been working to found a Tacoma campus chapter of Square Pegs Meetup, a social gathering for adults on the autism spectrum. And she is the vice president of the campus chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped her organizing efforts, just pushed them in a new direction. Square Pegs will go virtual for now, and the start of her final practicum at the Center for Independence in Lakewood, Wash., is delayed until the disease recedes further. But she remains committed to her belief that , in her experience, inclusion and social-support can have a positive impact on adults with autism.