ASAU Members

Ianthe is a light-skinned person with long wavy pink hair. They are wearing a necklace with a small blue plastic circle-A anarchy symbol.

Ianthe Belisle Dempsey (they/she), Media Manager

Ianthe (ee-AWN-tay, IPA: /iˈjɔnteɪ/) is an Autistic self-advocate living in Chicago. She has been an outspoken anti-oppression activist for nearly two decades and has a degree in theatre/film studies and Russian history from Illinois State University. Their work centers on using technology, design, and language to increase visual and cognitive accessibility of both print and digital resources. Ianthe has had pink hair for the past 14 years and has had extremely strong opinions on fonts and typography for even longer. She has no intention of changing either of those anytime soon.

Noor Pervez, Community Engagement Manager

Noor Pervez is the Community Engagement Coordinator at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. He previously led his campus LGBT+ advocacy group, Rainbow Guard, and gave a number of talks regarding intersectionality. His previous work centered on exploring the intersections of disability, LGBT+ and religious issues. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas with a degree in Emerging Media and Communications.

Dean Strauss, Communications Manager

Dean is the Communications Manager at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. His background is in media and design with a focus on civic media, queer and disability representation, and digital media. He has a Master’s degree in Civic Media from Columbia College Chicago. He spends his free time with his dog, Stitch.

Alex Grandstaff, Programs Manager

Alex Grandstaff (they/them) is ASAN’s Programs Coordinator. A writer turned MSW, they have lived and worked in Texas and Missouri. They have over a decade of experience in LGBTQ+ advocacy that pushes for the inclusion of queer and trans disabled people. They’re particularly passionate about work that addresses the way broader systems of oppression follow us home to contribute to interpersonal violence and ways we can break these toxic patterns to build supportive, healthy relationships with one another. This includes the ways those systems impact our labor and power in the workforce. They believe that community building and collective organizing offer everyone a path to a thriving future. A serial hobbyist, they’ve taught themselves book binding, candlemaking, and to sew their own clothes and learned soldering and leatherwork from their mother who is a jewelry artist.

Reid Caplan, Publications Manager

Reid Caplan (they/it) is the Publications Manager at ASAN. They oversee ASAN’s Plain Language and Easy Read projects. Reid has been writing in Plain Language and Easy Read since 2017, and their work aims to make research and policy more accessible to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They received a Master’s degree in Social Policy from the Heller School at Brandeis University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Society from Beloit College.

Skyler Love, Development Manager

Skyler Love (He/They) is the development manager for ASAN. He has a background in grant writing, management, and project development. With a degree in English Literature, he understands the importance of a narrative and how that applies to grant writing and development. Skyler has served on a number of boards, working for disability representation. For five years, he worked in the Independent Living Movement, fighting for community access.

AJ is a Black man with a beard in a red sweater and a backwards black hat. He is sitting at a table with other people and his hands are held palms up as he speaks.

AJ Link, Policy Analyst

AJ Link (he/him) is openly autistic. He received his JD from The George Washington University Law School and his LL.M in Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He is the inaugural director of The Center for Air and Space Law Task Force on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Aerospace and an adjunct professor of space law at Howard University School of Law. AJ is the Communications Director for Mission: AstroAccess and works as a research director for the Jus Ad Astra project. He serves as the Space Law and Policy Chair for Black in Astro and was the founding president of the National Disabled Law Students Association. AJ is a policy analyst for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. He has been actively involved with disability advocacy in the Washington, DC area and nationally within the United States. He serves on several advisory boards and steering committees that focus on disability advocacy and broader social justice movements.

John Poulos, Policy Analyst

John Poulos is a Policy Analyst at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. John works primarily on a wide range of disability policy issues and regularly meets with members of Congress and their staffers to discuss legislative and policy matters important to the autistic community.

Donnie Denome, Inclusive Publications and Research Coordinator

Donnie TC Denome is ASAN’s Publications Associate. They hold a Master’s of Public Health degree from Claremont Graduate University. Previously, Donnie worked as a journalist, a peer health educator, a freelance technical writer, and a museum docent. Their area of interest and expertise within public health is health education and harm reduction for adults with intellectual, communication, and developmental disabilities. They have a passion for Easy Read and Plain Language writing, equitable access to health care, and brightly patterned clothing.

Jules Good, Programs Coordinator

Jules Good (they/them) is the Programs Coordinator at ASAN. Previous roles include Assistant Director of Not Dead Yet, Deputy Disability Engagement Director for Stacey Abrams’ 2022 campaign, and Communications Access Specialist at Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services. Jules is also the founder and consulting lead at Neighborhood Access, which works with organizations to help them make their presence and practices more accessible to disabled communities. They live in Newmarket, New Hampshire.

Nina Stoller (they/them), Policy Coordinator

Nina Stoller is the Policy Coordinator for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Nina leads ASAN’s employment policy portfolio, specifically the legislative, regulatory, and grassroots advocacy efforts to advance fairly paid, integrated, and accommodating jobs for all disabled people. They are also in charge of many vital administrative duties for ASAN’s policy team.

Nina holds a Bachelor’s degree in American Culture Studies, with a concentration in public policy, and a minor in mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to ASAN, they were a Policy Fellow with the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network and a Legal Fellow with the Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, & Innovation. Nina has additional experience as an advocacy aide in support of a disabled adult, a researcher at a think tank, and an event coordinator for a nonprofit. Nina is fueled by the fight for justice, community, and collective liberation.

Katherine Crater, Media Coordinator

Katherine is a Media Coordinator at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. She graduated in fall of 2022 with a BFA in graphic design from the Savannah College of Art and Design. The main programs she works with are Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Final Cut Pro. She also likes to sketch and draw.

Eli is a light-skinned individual with short dark brown hair that is slightly graying. They are wearing a black kn95 mask, a black and white keffiyeh, and a green and white jacket with red Arabic lettering. They are standing in the parking lot of the Algiers Ferry Terminal.

Elias Bouderdaben, Grassroots Associate

Eli Bouderdaben is the Grassroots Associate at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. As a biracial and neuroscopious nonbinary individual, they have over a decade’s worth of experience in community organizing and building safe(r) queer Muslim spaces. They currently live on occupied and unceded Piscataway and Nacotchtank lands.

Mar Zapanta-Rosales, Communications Associate

Mar Zapanta-Rosales is the Communications Associate at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Mar has had an unconventional career trajectory, ranging from union organizing to baking to ASAN. As a multiply marginalized individual (fat, queer, gender nonconforming, mixed race, chronically ill, neurodivergent), Mar strives to bring a liberatory mindset to any space they are in, always working towards a more just, inclusive, and accessible future. In their free time, Mar can be found listening to podcasts, oscillating between serious political podcasts like Death Panel and extremely unserious comedy podcasts like Comedy Bang Bang and Doughboys.