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Community Collaborations Autism Empowerment is physically based in Vancouver, Washington. We are considered part of Southwest Washington although we are also very close to the Oregon border and interact frequently with the Portland, OR metro community. We believe it is important to be actively involved in our community. Community [...]
Past Project Examples The first season of the Autism Serves Kids Care Club took place October 2015 through June 2016. Here are photos of some of the monthly projects and events that club members participated in. In 2025, the Autism Serves Kids Care Club evolved and relaunched under a [...]
Karen Krejcha Bio Karen serves as Executive Director and Co-Founder of Autism Empowerment and also as the Board President. She is Editor of Spectrum Life Magazine and the host of the Autism Empowerment Podcast. Karen considers Autism Empowerment her calling and passion. She [...]
Hold My Beer A Film by Brian Tashima Produced by Second Player Score and Autism Empowerment <span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span [...]
Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking Resources Why this resource page matters. At Autism Empowerment, we are committed to supporting the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals in our community. Research shows that people on the autism spectrum and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at significantly higher risk [...]
Spectrums Magazine Acquisition Announcement This announcement initially was published online in April 2016. We are keeping it on our website to share a little history about how Spectrums Magazine came to be and how Autism Empowerment first became involved. Spectrums Magazine has been acquired by Autism Empowerment! Making sure that [...]
Gary Borghello Bio Gary Borghello was born and raised in Daly City, California and moved to Vancouver, Washington in 2009. He is currently in semi-retirement from 35+ years in Corporate America, most recently as Engagement Manager at Smart Recruiters and previously as Principal [...]
Acronym and Initialism Directory An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word. An initialism is an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately (e.g., DDA or IEP) Alphabet soup is often used as a metaphor for an abundance of [...]
Autism Empowerment Programs & Support Services Autism Empowerment is devoted to promoting a culture of acceptance, enrichment, and empowerment for children, teens, adults and families in autism and neurodivergent communities. Local programming takes place in the Southwest Washington and Portland, OR metro area. This includes AE's Neurodivergent [...]
Autism Empowerment wants visitors to be able to access reference information, resources, and support through our website, through our programs, and support services. Having knowledge is empowering. We created this page to connect you with other not-for-profit organizations throughout the United States and worldwide that are also dedicated to providing [...]
Autism Empowerment is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization devoted to enriching and empowering the lives of youth, adults, and families within autistic and neurodivergent communities. We promote a culture of Autism Acceptance and believe that each one of us has gifts and talents to make the [...]
Autism Serves Volunteerism Program Autism Empowerment introduces a positive and proactive program for our community and for our world. Our Autism Serves volunteerism program also known as Autism Serves Across the Lifespan was founded on the guiding belief that children and adults each have unique strengths, talents and gifts. Some [...]
 Actually Autistic Adults in the Real World A Day in Our Lives… By Jenny Bristol Illustrations by Rebecca Burgess  The autistic population is just as diverse as the non-autistic population. To learn about a day in the life of adults on the autism spectrum, we invite you to [...]
Tanya English Bio Tanya English was born in Los Angeles, California, but spent her formative years in Tijuana, Mexico, before becoming a Vancouver, WA, resident in 2014. Growing up in a border town gave her the unique perspective of navigating two cultures, seeing [...]
Autism Serves - Helping Hands Empowering Neurodivergent Teens & Young Adults Through Volunteerism Welcome! We are a neurodivergent-led volunteerism program from Autism Empowerment that brings teens, young adults, older adults, families, and community supporters together to serve others, build friendships, and make a positive difference. The Next Generation of [...]
AE Neurodivergent Creators Collective AE-NCC Resource Library Welcome | Upcoming Events | Past Events | Resource Library (see below) Welcome to the AE Neurodivergent Creators Collective (AE-NCC) Resource Library, a growing hub of free tools, guides, videos, and inspiration for autistic and neurodivergent creators. Whether your passion is acting, [...]
Chris Parrott Bio Chris Parrott joined Autism Empowerment’s Board of Directors in 2014. Chris was born and raised in Texas, and was a resident of Oregon from 2011 to early 2022, when he relocated to North Carolina. In 2025, he relocated again with his family to Vancouver, [...]
Paul Pitsenbarger Bio Paul Pitsenbarger has served as Vice President for Autism Empowerment since 2011 and is involved with strategic planning and development. Paul retired after 33 years at Crown Zellerbach and James River Corporation (now Georgia Pacific), where he served as Director [...]
Brian Tashima Bio Brian Tashima was born and raised in Hawaii and has been a resident of Vancouver, Washington since 2000. He is an author, screenwriter, filmmaker, musician, creator, consultant, and philanthropist. He's also the dad of two autistic children, and was himself diagnosed [...]
Past Autism Empowerment Outreach Events Outreach events and activities that we participate in give youth, adults and families impacted by Autism and Asperger's to have an opportunity to connect with Autism Empowerment and to meet other members of the autism and autistic community. There are many opportunities throughout each [...]