Mercy College School of Education Event Will Focus on Young Adults with Autism

Ryan Lowry, a 21-year-old with autism, will be the keynote speaker at Mercy College’s School of Education’s event, “Voices of Autism: Personal and Professional Perspectives.” The event is taking place Thursday, February 10, at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom.

The event will feature insights from Mercy Associate Professors Dr. Sudha Ramaswamy and Dr. Christine Lang. They will be joined by Dr. Anjalee Nirgudkar, an educator and behavioral analyst who will speak about her experiences working with children and adults with autism.

Lowry achieved international fame when an open letter to potential employers, which he posted on social media, went viral. Among the influencers and celebrities who count themselves among his ardent supporters are NBC News Anchor Lester Holt, multi-millionaire Richard Branson and MGM executive Jeremy Cole.

“Ryan’s presence at the event will help us highlight the needs of adults with autism. So much is done for children on the autism spectrum, but more is needed for young people aged 18 and over,” said Ramaswamy.

Shortly before graduating from high school, Lowry hand-wrote a letter to a potential employer, describing his strengths as a person with autism and expressing his dream of working in animation. After posting a photo of the letter on LinkedIn, he received an outpouring of praise, encouragement, job offers, support and appreciation from viewers all over the world. His supporters included family members, other adults on the autism spectrum, companies and individuals in the animation and other creative fields, celebrities, and business leaders. Eventually Lowry was offered a scholarship and is now enrolled at Exceptional Minds, an academy and studio that trains young adults on the autism spectrum for careers in animation, VFX and gaming.

Lowry’s parents will also speak at the event, sharing their journey as a family with a child with special needs. “As therapists we can share our expertise, but families really live with their experiences daily,” said Ramaswamy. “We want the event to focus mostly on Ryan and his parents because they can offer a perspective that’s important to this discussion. We need to work together to raise awareness, be compassionate and to hear each other’s stories.”