Episode 77 - Ability Beyond Disability, with Rachel Barcellona

(31 mins) In this episode, hosts Haley Moss and Dr. Lori Butts welcome self-advocate Rachel Barcellona! Rachel recently made headlines as the first Miss Florida contestant to be on the autism spectrum. She received her A.A. degree from St. Petersburg College, and is currently attending University of South Florida, majoring in English with minors in creative writing and communication. She studied International relations and languages including Russian and Spanish. Rachel is also studying voice and is an opera singer, showcasing her talents in New York and London, England. Rachel won the Els for Autism award in 2017, is a spokesperson for the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) at the University of South Florida, and also is on their advocacy board. Rachel was named an ambassador for Unicorn Children’s Foundation, a board member for the Els Center for Excellence, a board member of Safe Minds Inc., and has traveled internationally with the Global Autism Project. She is also a member of the International Thespian Honor Society and has competed in pageantry, winning local, state and national titles. Rachel has been working on her platform “Ability Beyond Disability” for the past 9 years now, and has recently sang the National Anthem at a sold out Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game. She returned from New York on April 3rd where she spoke for World Autism Day at the United Nations concerning politics and advocacy for those with autism. The three discuss Rachel’s advocacy work, why she likes performing and being on a stage, and pursuing passions even when others may stand in your way. For more about Rachel: https://twitter.com/BarcellonaR https://www.instagram.com/rachelbarcellona/ https://www.facebook.com/rachelability/ https://rachelbarcellona.com/ ----------------- Spectrumly Speaking is the podcast dedicated to women on the autism spectrum, produced by Different Brains®. Every other week, join our hosts Haley Moss (an autism self-advocate, attorney, artist, and author) and Dr. Lori Butts (a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist, and licensed attorney) as they discuss topics and news stories, share personal stories, and interview some of the most fascinating voices from the autism community. Follow Different Brains on social media: https://twitter.com/diffbrains https://www.facebook.com/different.brains/ http://differentbrains.org/category/spectrumlyspeaking/