Lydia X. Z. Brown

As an undergraduate student at Georgetown University from 2011 to 2015, Brown was a student organizer and advocate for disabled students on campus.Quallen, Matthew. [http://www.thehoya.com/disabled-students-struggle-continues/ "For Disabled Students, The Struggle Continues"], The Hoya, February 26, 2015. Brown served as the first Undersecretary of Disability Affairs for the Georgetown University Student AssociationAndrews, Avital. [https://psmag.com/social-justice/the-30-top-thinkers-under-30-the-self-described-queer-east-asian-disabled-person-devoted-to-defending-anyone-on-the-margins "The 30 Top Thinkers Under 30: The Self-Described Queer, East Asian Disabled Person Devoted to Defending Anyone on the Margins"], Pacific Standard, April 4, 2015. and was on the planning committee for the first university-recognized Disability Cultural Month in October 2012.{{Cite web |date=2014-10-24 |title=Disability Month Focuses on Diversity |url=https://thehoya.com/disability-month-focuses-on-diversity/ |access-date=2022-05-20 |language=en-US}} They wrote and disseminated a citywide guide to resources for students with disabilities,Welch, Caroline. [http://www.thehoya.com/gusa-tackles-accessibility/ "GUSA Tackles Accessibility"], The Hoya, September 6, 2013. surveyed student government candidates on disability issues,Henry, Lacey. [http://www.thehoya.com/disability-survey-reveals-support-from-gusa-candidates/ "Disability Survey Reveals Support From GUSA Candidates"], The Hoya, February 24, 2013.Gregory, Matt. [http://www.thehoya.com/candidates-surveyed-on-disability-for-second-year/ "Candidates Surveyed on Disability for Second Year"], The Hoya, February 27, 2014. organized a Twitter chat by Georgetown students with disabilities,Monyak, Suzanne. [http://www.thehoya.com/strong-words-from-gus-disabled/ "Strong Words From GU's Disabled"], The Hoya, January 14, 2014. and hosted and organized a lecture & performance series on Disability justice that featured talks with disability activists, scholars, and cultural workers including Karen Nakamura, Margaret Price, Leroy F. Moore Jr., Kassiane Asasumasu, Stephanie Kerschbaum, and Shain M. Neumeier.[http://www.disabilityjusticegu.com/events/disability-justice-series/ "Lecture & Performance Series on Disability Justice"], Disability Justice for Georgetown University, 2015.Allen, Charlotte. [http://www.thehoya.com/speaker-discusses-incarceration-of-disabled-people/ "Speaker Discusses Incarceration of Disabled People"], The Hoya, November 11, 2014.Wallender, Andrew. [http://www.thehoya.com/panel-talks-disability-rights/ "Panel Talks Disability Rights"], The Hoya, October 31, 2014.

In the fall of 2012, Brown designed a proposal for and organized a planning committee of over 20 university community members to advocate for the creation of a Disability Cultural Center on campus.Rouge, Dominique. [http://georgetownvoice.com/2015/03/05/browns-proposal-for-the-establishment-of-a-disability-cultural-center-gains-momentum/ "Brown's proposal for establishment of Disability Cultural Center gains momentum"], The Georgetown Voice, March 5, 2015. The planning committee's recommendations, in combination with a 2014 #BeingDisabledAtGeorgetown (shortened version: #BDGU{{Cite web |date=2014-04-25 |title=Protest Thrives in Diverse Forms |url=https://thehoya.com/protest-thrives-in-diverse-forms/ |access-date=2022-05-20 |language=en-US}}) online campaign, contributed to the Disability Studies Minor Working Group's establishment of a Disability Studies Course Cluster{{Cite web |date=2015-10-23 |title=Disability Course Cluster Established |url=https://thehoya.com/disability-course-cluster-established/ |access-date=2022-05-20 |language=en-US}} in the fall of 2015 and Georgetown University's subsequent approval of the creation of a Disability Studies minor{{Cite web |date=2021-02-05 |title=EDITORIAL: Establish the Disability Cultural Center |url=https://thehoya.com/editorial-establish-the-disability-cultural-center/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |language=en-US}} in 2017. It also led to the creation of a dedicated fund for sign language interpretation and real-time captioning, and the creation of a dedicated access coordinator position.{{Cite web |date=2018-04-19 |title=The autistic, non-binary, queer, law student fighting for disability justice |url=https://news.northeastern.edu/2018/04/19/the-autistic-non-binary-queer-law-student-fighting-for-disability-justice/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=News @ Northeastern |language=en-US}} A Disability Cultural Center has not yet been established as of May 2022.

As a Public Interest Law Scholar at Northeastern University School of Law,[http://www.northeastern.edu/law/pdfs/financial-aid/pils-bios2016.pdf "Celebrating the Public Interest Law Scholars Program: Recipient Biographies for the Classes of 2003-2018"], Northeastern University School of Law, January 2016, page 19. Brown helped to found the Disability Justice Caucus.

Brown has described themselves as having "fallen into activism by accident". Their experience raising over $1200 for an autism awareness nonprofit advocacy organization then returning funds to donors after discovering behavior "counter to the organization's stated mission" led them to seek out and later work with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

In Massachusetts, Brown first wrote and introduced legislation in 2010 on autism and developmental disabilities training for law enforcement, including corrections officers, and has continued to lobby for passage of that bill.General Court of Massachusetts, [http://www.mass.gov/legis/journal/hj062310.pdf "Journal of the House"], June 23, 2010, page 1498.Segelbaum, Dani. [http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20160209/NEWS/160205991 "Student pushes bill on autism training"], Milford Daily News, February 9, 2016.

In 2011, Brown wrote a petition demanding school district-wide policy changes in Mercer County, Kentucky after viewing local news coverage of an incident in which Christopher Baker, a nine year old autistic student, was punished by being placed inside a large bag.Schreiner, Bruce. [http://archive.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2011/12/22/school_accused_of_putting_autistic_student_in_bag/ "School accused of putting autistic student in bag"], Associated Press, Boston Globe, December 22, 2011. The petition gained over 200,000 signaturesBrown, Lydia. "Petitioning Special Education, Mercer County Board of Education Emma Jean Tamme and 14 others: End abuse of Autistic students in Mercer County, Kentucky", Change.org, December 2011. and media attention.Schreiner, Bruce. [http://www.kentucky.com/site-services/newsletters/morning-newsletter/article44148390.html "Mom wants changes before she'll let autistic son return to Mercer school"], Associated Press, January 4, 2012.McVeigh, Karen. [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/27/autistic-boy-duffel-bag-kentucky "Mother condemns Kentucky school for putting autistic son in duffel bag"], The Guardian, December 27, 2011.

In 2013, Brown co-organized a protest outside the Food and Drug Administration White Oak Campus in Maryland against the Judge Rotenberg Center, which is known for its use of aversives as a form of behavioral modification on people with developmental disabilities, including many autistic people.[http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2013/01/fda-meets-on-school-electric-shock.html "FDA meets on school electric shock device used on disabled students, warns of violations"], January 11, 2013. Later, in 2014, Brown testified against the Judge Rotenberg Center's use of electric shock aversives at a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel hearing.Food and Drug Administration. [https://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/MedicalDevices/MedicalDevicesAdvisoryCommittee/NeurologicalDevicesPanel/UCM398417.pdf "Transcript of Open Public Hearing of the Neurological Devices Panel, Medical Devices Advisory Committee, U.S. Food and Drug Administration"], April 24, 2014, pp.192-195. Prior to the hearing, Brown submitted a written testimony on behalf of TASH New England arguing that electric shock aversive devices should be banned as an ineffective and dangerous form of treatment.Brown, Lydia. [https://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FDA-2014-N-0238-0059 "Moral and Legal Bases for Banning Aversive Conditioning Devices Used for Contingent Electric Shock Lydia Brown Comment"], April 18, 2014. Brown maintains a living archive of documents and other resources related to the JRC on their website.Brown, Lydia. [http://www.autistichoya.net/judge-rotenberg-center/ "Judge Rotenberg Center Living Archive"], last updated July 22, 2016.

During college, Brown co-founded the Washington Metro Disabled Students Collective.Washington Metro Disabled Students Collective, [https://disabledstudentsdc.org/leadership/ "Leadership"].

Brown was the lead editor of All the Weight of Our Dreams, an anthology of art and writing entirely by autistic people of color published by the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network in June 2017.Brooks, Emily. [http://the-toast.net/2016/03/29/interview-with-steve-silberman/ An Interview with Steve Silberman, Author of NeuroTribes], The Toast, March 29, 2016.Brown, Lydia X. Z. & The Autism Women's Network. [http://www.autismandrace.com All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism], 2016.

In 2020, Brown supported the FDA's ban of electric shock devices at the Judge Rotenberg Center and said that there should be reparations for survivors of this method of torture.{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Heather |title=After FDA bans Massachusetts school from using electric shock devices, advocates seek public apology, reparations |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2020/03/after-fda-bans-judge-rotenberg-center-from-using-electric-shock-devices-advocates-seek-public-apology-reparations.html |access-date=March 13, 2020 |work=masslive |date=March 9, 2020 |language=en}}

A study by Nature Communications found that trans individuals were three to six times more likely to be autistic, and gender diverse people are more likely to report traits of autism.{{Cite journal |last=Dattaro |first=Laura |date=2020 |title=Largest study to date confirms overlap between autism and gender diversity |journal=Spectrum |doi=10.53053/wnhc6713 |s2cid=251633487 |issn=2770-0976|doi-access=free }} The intersectionality of gender and neurodivergence has led both communities to coin the term gendervague. Lydia X. Z. Brown has popularized the term which refers to an intersection between their neurodivergent and the transgender identities.{{Cite web |date=2021-08-17 |title=Gendervague » The Trans Language Primer |url=https://translanguageprimer.com/gendervague/ |access-date=2023-05-16 |website=translanguageprimer.com |language=en-US}} Gendervague falls under the non-binary and transgender umbrellas, although individuals who identify with this term feel their gender identity is intertwined with their neurodivergence. Brown noted, "for many of us, gender mostly impacts our lives when projected onto us through other people's assumptions, but holds little intrinsic meaning."{{Cite web |title=Gendervague: Autistic + Trans |url=https://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/blogs/post/gendervague-autistic-trans |access-date=2023-05-16 |website=www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca |date=July 22, 2021 |language=en-CA}}

Brown is a former Patricia Morrissey Disability Policy Fellow at the Institute for Educational Leadership.Institute for Educational Leadership, [http://ramp.iel.org/node/183 "IEL Celebrates White House Champions of Change"], 2013. They were a policy analyst for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

They were the chairperson of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities CouncilMassachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, [https://www.scribd.com/doc/289948266/Press-Release-Lydia-Brown-MDDC "Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council Welcomes Lydia Brown as New Chairperson: Brown is Youngest Developmental Disabilities Council Chairperson in Country"], October 2015. from 2015 to 2017, the youngest appointee chairing any state developmental disabilities council in the U.S.{{Cite web |title=National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC) |url=https://ndmc.pyd.org/hall-of-fame/class-of-2019/lydia-xz-brown/ |access-date=2022-05-20 |website=National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC) |language=en-US}}

As a graduate student, they were the 2018-2019 Justice Catalyst Legal Fellow at the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.

Brown has lectured on neurodiversity; connections between trans, queer, and disability experiences; racial justice and the disability rights movement; and intersectionality at numerous colleges and universities, including Yale University,Giovanniello, Sarah. [http://www.broadrecognitionyale.com/2013/11/18/lydia-brown-looking-beyond-the-pathology-paradigm/ "Lydia Brown: Looking Beyond the Pathology Paradigm"], Broad Recognition, November 18, 2013.Lee, Jiwon. [http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/11/05/activist-challenges-social-perceptions-of-autism/ "Activist challenges social perceptions of autism"], Yale Daily News, November 5, 2013. Bellevue College,Yu, Fei. [http://www.thewatchdogonline.com/disability-awareness-month-2-19180 "Disability Awareness Month"], The Watchdog, September 30, 2014. University of Virginia,Parker, Elizabeth. [http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2015/04/queer-and-disabled-activist-lydia-brown-speaks-at-opengrounds "Queer and disabled activist Lydia Brown speaks at OpenGrounds: Georgetown University student discusses experiences with autism, self-advocacy"], The Cavalier Daily, April 8, 2015. Grinnell College,Coghlan, Nora. [http://www.thesandb.com/features/queer-culture-week-comes-out-to-grinnell.html "Queer Culture Week Comes Out to Grinnell"], Scarlet and Black, November 13, 2014. College of William & Mary,Cohen, Ariel. [http://flathatnews.com/2013/04/15/college-works-to-promote-neurodiversity/ "College Works To Promote Neurodiversity"], The Flat Hat, April 15, 2013. and Vanderbilt University as part of the Inclusive Astronomy Conference.Tavares, Frank. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150724064255/http://acvoice.com/2015/07/23/my-experiences-at-the-inclusive-astronomy-2015-conference-part-1/ "My Experiences at the Inclusive Astronomy 2015 Conference: Part 1"]}}, AC Voice, July 23, 2015. In 2015, Brown gave the keynote speech at the Students of Color Conference held in Yakima, Washington,{{Cite web |last=Vo |first=Tony |date=July 9, 2015 |title=The International Examiner – Column: Students of Color Conference—25 years of movement building |url=http://www.iexaminer.org/2015/07/column-students-of-color-conference-25-years-of-movement-building/ |access-date=April 1, 2016 |website=www.iexaminer.org}} and in 2016, Brown gave the keynote speech at the Queer I Am Leadership Symposium held at South Puget Sound Community College.{{Cite web |title=QueerIAm |url=http://decspscc.weebly.com/queer-i-am.html |access-date=April 1, 2016 |website=Office of Diversity and Equity}}

They previously taught as a visiting lecturer at Tufts University's Experimental College, and as an Adjunct Lecturer in Disability Studies at Georgetown University and Adjunct Professorial Lecturer in American Studies at American University's Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies.

In 2013, Brown was recognized by the White House Champions of Change program in commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act.{{Cite web |date=2013-06-26 |title=Student Honored for Disability Advocacy at White House |url=https://thehoya.com/student-honored-for-disability-advocacy-at-white-house/ |access-date=2022-05-20 |language=en-US}}

The Washington Peace Center selected Brown as the recipient of its 2014 Empowering the Future Youth Activist Award for their work with the Washington Metro Disabled Students Collective and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.{{Cite web |title=Past Awardees |url=http://washingtonpeacecenter.net/pastawardees |access-date=April 1, 2016 |website=Washington Peace Center}}{{Cite web |title=2014 Activist Awardees |url=http://washingtonpeacecenter.org/2014awardees |access-date=April 1, 2016 |website=Washington Peace Center}}

In 2015, Brown was named a Top Thinker Under 30 in the Social Sciences by Pacific Standard and included on Mic's inaugural list of "the next generation of impactful leaders, cultural influencers, and breakthrough innovators."[http://mic50.com/lydia-brown "Mic50: Lydia Brown"], Mic, 2015.

In 2018, Brown was awarded the National Association for Law Placement Pro Bono Publico Award, which is annually awarded to one law student in the U.S. who makes significant contributions to underserved populations through pro bono services.

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• "intersectionality – a dialogue with Devonya N. Havis and Lydia X. Z. Brown", Addressing Ableism: Philosophical Questions via Disability Studies. Jennifer Scuro (2017){{Cite book|title=Addressing ableism : philosophical questions via disability studies|last=Jennifer|first=Scuro|others=Reynolds, Joel Michael,, Havis, Devonya N.,, Brown, Lydia X. Z.|isbn=9781498540742|location=Lanham, [Maryland]|oclc=995285877|year = 2018}}
• "Ableist Shame and Disruptive Bodies: Survivorship at the Intersection of Queer, Trans, and Disabled Existence", Religion, Disability, and Interpersonal Violence. ed. Andy J. Johnson, J. Ruth Nelson, & Emily M. Lund (2017){{Cite book|title=Religion, Disability, and Interpersonal Violence|date=2017|publisher=Springer Verlag|others=Johnson, Andy, Nelson, Ruth, Lund, Emily|isbn=9783319569000|oclc=995767208}}
• All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism. ed. Lydia X. Z. Brown, E. Ashkenazy, & Morénike Giwa Onaiwu (2017){{Cite book|title=All the weight of our dreams : on living racialized autism|others=Brown, Lydia X. Z.,, Ashkenazy, E.,, Onaiwu, Morénike Giwa,, Autistic Self Advocacy Network|isbn=9780997504507|location=Lincoln, Nebraska|oclc=991619149|year = 2017}}
• "Autism Isn't Speaking: Autistic Subversion in Media & Public Policy", Barriers and Belonging: Personal Narratives of Disability. ed. Michelle Jarman, Leila Monaghan, & Alison Quaggin Harkin (2017){{Cite book|title=Barriers and belonging : personal narratives of disability|others=Jarman, Michelle, 1966-, Monaghan, Leila Frances, 1960-, Harkin, Alison Quaggin, 1958-|isbn=9781439913888|location=Philadelphia|oclc=969434384|date = February 11, 2017}}
• "'You Don't Feel Like A Freak Anymore': Representing Disability, Madness, and Trauma in Litchfield Penitentiary", Feminist Perspectives on Orange Is The New Black: Thirteen Critical Essays. ed. April Kalogeropoulos Householder & Adrienne Trier-Bieniek (2016)Brown, Lydia (2016). "'You Don't Feel Like A Freak Anymore': Representing Disability, Madness, and Trauma in Litchfield Penitentiary", Feminist Perspectives on Orange Is The New Black: Thirteen Critical Essays. ed. April Kalogeropoulos Householder & Adrienne Trier-Bieniek, pp. 174-193.
• "How Not To Plan Disability Conferences", QDA: A Queer Disability Anthology. ed. Raymond Luczak (2015)Brown, Lydia (2015). "How Not To Plan Disability Conferences", QDA: A Queer Disability Anthology. ed. Raymond Luczak, pp. 304-307.
• "Compliance is Unreasonable: The Human Rights Implications of Compliance-Based Behavioral Interventions under the Convention Against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities", Torture in Healthcare Settings: Reflections on the Special Rapporteur on Torture's 2013 Thematic Report ed. Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law (2014)Brown, Lydia. [https://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/center/resources/publications/documents/YESPDF_Torture_in_Healthcare_Publication.pdf "Compliance is Unreasonable: The Human Rights Implications of Compliance-Based Behavioral Interventions under the Convention Against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities"], Torture in Healthcare Settings: Reflections on the Special Rapporteur on Torture's 2013 Thematic Report, Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, 2014, pp. 181-194.
• "Disability in an Ableist World" in Criptiques ed. Caitlin Wood (2014)Brown, Lydia (2014). "Disability in an Ableist World", in Criptiques ed. Caitlin Wood, pp. 37-46, May Day. {{ISBN|0991573404}}.

{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.autistichoya.com Lydia Brown's personal blog (Autistic Hoya)]
• [http://www.autistichoya.net Lydia Brown's portfolio]

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Category:1993 births

Category:Autism activists

Category:American disability rights activists

Category:American LGBTQ people of Asian descent

Category:LGBTQ people from Washington, D.C.

Category:Living people

Category:Activists from Washington, D.C.

Category:Autistic writers

Category:American activists with disabilities

Category:American queer writers

Category:American non-binary writers

Category:American people of Chinese descent

Category:American adoptees

Category:Non-binary activists

Category:American writers with disabilities

Category:LGBTQ writers with disabilities

Category:Autistic LGBTQ people

Category:Maryland Democrats