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DocuSign Envelope ID:4CB7473F-4B13-4A9C-A9FF-64745B8579B8 <br /> i UNC <br /> CAROLINA INSTITUTE FOR <br /> DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES ioi RENEE LYNNE COURT T 919.966.5171 <br /> CARRBORO,NC 27510 F 919.966.2230 <br /> www.cidd.unc.edu <br /> Mailing Address: <br /> CAMPUS BOX 7255 <br /> CHAPEL HILL,NC 27599-7255 <br /> November 17, 2014 <br /> To: Orange County Arts Commission Funding Committee <br /> In the spring of 2013 I was awarded a LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and <br /> related Disorders) Trainee position at the CIDD (Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities) at <br /> L NC Chapel Hill. LEND is graduate level interdisciplinary program that prepares trainees from <br /> diverse professional disciplines to assume leadership roles in their respective fields. The purpose of <br /> the LEND training program is to improve the health of infants, children, adolescents, and adults with <br /> disabilities. Five years ago the program expanded to include my position, that of Self-Advocacy. I <br /> have a diagnosis of High Functioning Autism. By including individuals with disabilities,the program <br /> as a whole has become much stronger. <br /> This amazing opportunity lead me to work closely with Deborah Zuver, M.A., LMFT, RDT at the <br /> CIDD and I have thrived in ways previously unimagined. I came in with a background in visual art, <br /> including a BFA in sculpture from L NCG and 25 years as a professional decorative painter. But I am <br /> very much an intellectual and immersed myself in the program. Working closely with Deb Zuver, I <br /> have had numerous opportunities to interact with, and to better understand the needs of adults with <br /> intellectual and/or developmental differences. I am especially interested in adults diagnosed with <br /> autism later in life and parents of teenagers on the spectrum who are transitioning into adulthood. I <br /> am working to develop my role as a link, or resource between the ASD community and the NT (neuro <br /> typical)world. <br /> In the fall of 2014, I was awarded a second year trainee position. My work with Deb continued and <br /> she introduced me to Barbara Tyroler. Subsequent interactions with Barbara have led to my first ever <br /> exhibition in a public art gallery,to be on display in April, 2015. As April is Autism Awareness <br /> month,this show will involve other community events, including a public panel discussion where I <br /> will describe my work and my process. <br /> While working with Barbara to plan the show, we decided to collaborate on an experimental portrait <br /> piece. Barbara will take photos of me which I will then use as a starting point to develop a finished <br /> portrait through written text and mixed media. This idea thrills me. I potentially see it as an external <br /> representation of all that I have come to understand internally over the past five years and subsequent <br /> official diagnosis at age 45. The fact that it will be a dialog between myself and Barbara, captured in <br /> two dimensions,beautifully parallels the reality of autism as I see it, combining both an inside and an <br /> outside view. My hope for this piece is that it will be included in April's show as both a strong <br /> example of collaboration and the importance of public art in self-advocacy, education, inclusion, and <br /> understanding. <br /> Susan Kermon <br />