Greetings from Glimmer and this week’s issue of The Spark, where we highlight inspiring news from the disability communities. Have something we should cover? Drop us a line! Without further ado…

• • Yes David, many people would like you! We were touched by this story of a mom in Neptune Beach, FL that posted to Twitter something her nonverbal autistic son asked her, unprompted. The outpouring of support from all over the world has been heartwarming.

• In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, Disability Rights California compiled a number of stories detailing the positive experiences of the disabled within the workforce. You can check them out here.
• Hats off to American Girl, which is featuring a girl with downs syndrome in its Christmas advertising. Will that lead to American Girl offering a doll with downs? Time will tell. To American Girl’s credit, it has introduced more diversity into its collection over the years, “including creating wheelchairs, hearing aids, crutches, an insulin pump, and service dogs,” according to The Mighty.
• We loved this piece where Penny Pennington of Edward Jones talks about how companies can move beyond workplace “diversity” and into real inclusion in their ranks.
• There’s a great podcast where three artists in Australia discuss how fellow artists with disabilities are doing great things online despite their challenges, and how the ever-changing digital landscape presents opportunities for new forms of expression.

Words of Encouragement

— Comedian and actress Rosie O’Donnell, in response to the viral tweet above by Kerry Bloch.

That’s it for today. If you think there’s something we should highlight in The Spark or on Glimmer, we’d love to hear about it.

Also, head over to Glimmer to discuss this and anything else with fellow Glimmer members.

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— Geoff Anderson
Co-founder of Glimmer