We are thrilled to announce our inaugural Spellers and Typers Advocacy Summit on Saturday, August 15, curated and directed by Portland’s own Niko Boskovic, nonspeaking autistic advocate and writer.
Registration is officially closed! Thank you so much to all of the nonspeakers and families who registered. We look forward to seeing you in August!
Niko writes, “For many of us who rely on spelling or typing to communicate, we are aware of the many ways in which we don’t fit the norms of people our age. We’re too loud, too odd, too unlike the status quo that sees our lives as tragedies.
There hasn’t been an opportunity for us to change the narrative. There hasn’t been a way for us to come together in a place that gets us and supports our ways of being in the world.
With this in mind, I’d like to invite my fellow autistics who spell and type to communicate to save the date for the first Spellers and Typers Advocacy Summit in Mulino Oregon on August 15, 2026.
This is for all nonspeaking autistics of any age who are interested in advocating for our rights to be who we are and who we can be with the right supports.
It’s a chance for us to stim and regulate our bodies without judgment. It will be a day of learning from each other and celebrating what we want to do together to change the world.”
Frequently Asked Questions – answered by Niko
FAQ 1: Who is the intended summit attendee?
If you are an autistic person who is a non-, minimal, or unreliable speaker and is interested in advocacy issues, disability justice, and spending a day with other people who type or spell to communicate, this is for you. (This includes anyone who is still learning, i.e., not fluent.)
Your participation can include a CRP, PSW, or DSP and whatever support items essential to your regulation.
This day is our first effort to center the nonspeaking perspective, and there will no doubt be people who still want to attend to learn from and appreciate our resiliency and lived experiences. We encourage you to contact AMA to get more information about volunteering.
FAQ 2: What does it mean “to center the nonspeaking perspective?”
Learning to give full autonomy to one’s child is a lesson that begins at the first sign of declared wants or desires. A ball out of reach, a cat on the sidewalk, the bright colors of the cereal aisle… hardly signs of autonomy, but they are the natural progression of humans and how babies grow into adults with consciousness, morals, and a sense of who they are.
The same goes for disabled people: they form their own measures of what they like and desire over the course of their lives. Yet there is this tendency for autistic nonspeakers to be spoken over by a parent (who is often their mother).
This is not a criticism of moms of autistics or in any way loaded with resentment about your advocacy to date. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that you have been the louder of us. You have advocated for me and modeled what autonomy looks like.
Know that I have been listening as you tell others about my potential, and I love you for believing so fiercely in me. Now I want to tell my story in my own words at my own pace, and I want you to read it back without commentary. Unedited and pure. You are our vessels of love, but you have to stop speaking for us.
FAQ 3: What should I expect?
Getting to plan an event like this is such an exciting endeavour. Having been to a number of conferences, I am often struck by how quiet and low-energy the room feels; how there are so few outlets to be loud or stim in peace; how everyone faces the front and is passively taking part.
It’s very clear to see that our summit will be louder, stimmier, and more active than what most of us are used to. Autism Mustang Alliance will be debuting its new sensory gym this summer, and we are planning the day to be structured so that participants can be as actively involved as they want to be. If they want to bounce on yoga balls while spelling, that’s great! We want to make it as easy for people to participate as possible.
Therefore, we will be sending out the questions we want to discuss at least a month beforehand so that spellers and typers can prepare their responses to be read at the summit. It’s important for folks to have the opportunity to share about themselves and what they dream about for their futures.
FAQ 4: What will be the structure of the day?
The schedule for the day will be structured as a non-disabled conference might be in that we have a vision of what we hope to see during each session. All of this comes from attendees who expressed an overwhelming desire to connect with and support other spellers and typers. As a way to grow those connections, the morning session’s time will be dedicated to hearing about each other and the topics for which they prepared responses. At the end of the morning, the attendees will pick two or three topics to discuss after lunch.
The afternoon session will explore these topics with the question, ‘What does a world built for nonspeakers look like?’ This session will be open spelling/typing, and we expect it to be energetic, probably loud, and definitely affirming of the experiences and personal views of nonspeakers.
One reason we organized the summit this way is to honor the knowledge we each carry from our experiences as autistic nonspeakers. Second, there had to be an acknowledgement of ‘crip time,’ which is the additional time, energy, and resources disabled people have to allot for when navigating an ableist world.
For this summit we are, in the literal sense, asking many hands to make light work by inviting each attendee to be a panelist to whatever degree they can or want. This means that if your body needs a break, you can walk to the creek or do the forest trail without feeling like you’re missing a lot. In fact, we plan to transcribe the open spelling portion and make a transcript available to attendees (minus people’s names) so that spellers who take a break can do so easily and naturally.
FAQ 5: What is the schedule for the day?
9:30-10am check-in; see the space and meet the animals
10am-12:30pm morning session
lunch break
1-3pm afternoon session
FAQ 6: Are there any accommodations for out-of-town spellers and typers and their families to stay overnight?
There are rooms available at AMA’s renovated Mustang Retreat House, a 5 bedroom 2 bath country home situated at AMA’s 54 acre ranch in Mulino Oregon. Please inquire about renting room(s) for your group Friday August 14 through Sunday August 16. Mulino is 10 miles south of Oregon City, and 25 miles south of downtown Portland.
FAQ 7: Is outdoor camping available for spellers and typers and their families?
Yes! We have campsites available for overnight camping Friday through Sunday; food will not be provided beyond snacks and water so bring your own eats and camping gear, although we have some tents and sleeping pads available if you need one. Cooking outdoors or at the retreat house will be available, and we will have outdoor games set up and a campfire! Please inquire to reserve a spot for camping – this is being offered at no cost to summit participants.
