In The Politics of Autism, I discuss autism history.
Coleman Cornelius at Colorado State University:
Temple Grandin – a tireless speaker, prolific author, and distinguished professor of animal science at Colorado State University – is often circled by students on the Fort Collins campus. She is flagged down by fans at the airport. And she is surrounded by admirers at agriculture conferences and gatherings for families of children with autism.
She is a pioneer in food-animal welfare who has achieved global distinction with insights attained from her own autism. Chief among them is her ability – gained through visual thinking – to understand livestock behavior and to design effective and humane handling systems used by suppliers of some of the world’s largest food purveyors.
“Who would have ever predicted that an autistic woman would come along and transform how we handle our animals? I think that’s why she is such a great hope for families in the autism community,” says Janet Riley, one of Grandin’s friends and colleagues. “She’s a rock star.”
Now, audiences worldwide can learn about Grandin’s extraordinary life and influence through the documentary film “An Open Door.” It will be available on the streaming platforms Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ and Kanopy beginning Aug. 12. The film is presented by CSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences, was written and directed by award-winning filmmaker John Barnhardt and is distributed by Good Deed Entertainment. It has been accepted into 72 festivals, has earned 27 individual awards, and has been featured in 26 states and nine countries.
