
Author: Erin Croyle
Erin Croyle is an advocate for disability rights. She serves on her city's Community Services Board. She is a member of her local Special Education Advisory Committee. She is a mentor parent for the Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia. She is the mother to three children, the oldest has Down syndrome.
She is also a journalist who has worked for National Geographic and Al Jazeera English in Washington DC and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.







![[Image Description: This graphic has two sides. The left side says “Awareness.” It is very blue. Everything is in different shades of blue. It has a puzzle piece, a crouching person, and a lightbulb on it. It has some words: “Suffering” “Cure” “Tragedy” “Afraid” “Desperate” “Burden” “#LightItUpBlue” “Missing” “Hopeless” “Deficits” “Epidemic” “Tsunami” The right side has a white background. It is fabulously rainbow. It has the rainbow Autistic Self Advocacy Network logo, a rainbow infinity symbol, a blue, pink, and purple graphic depiction of two adults holding the hands of a child, and a red lightbulb with a heart in the center. It has these words in lots of different colors on it: “Inclusion” “Strengths” “Teach” “Respect” “Accommodations” “Help” “Community” “Support” “Love” “#RedInstead”]](https://i0.wp.com/centerforfamilyinvolvementblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/4-15.jpg?resize=563%2C375&ssl=1)

