News

Today On The Avenue we want to introduce you to a new project that we are super excited about. The “No Edits. No Filter.” podcast is a simple, candid conversation with our employees here at Westwood Avenue & Woodard Bros.  We have noticed that when people with and without disabilities sit down and actually talk and share, we have more in common than [...]

Today On The Avenue we’re talking about the 2019 Best Buddies Prom. Held just a few weeks ago at our very own Bridgestone arena, the Best Buddies Prom brought together over 2,000 young adults with and without disabilities to have the night of their life. With the event centered around the idea of inclusion, it’s participants got to enjoy a night of singing [...]

Today On The Avenue we want to shed some light on another program that we LOVE. For individuals on the spectrum, making and maintaining meaningful relationships with peers is often a huge challenge in their lives. While we at On The Avenue focus mostly on education meant to push work-based skills forward, and increased social skills are often a positive side effect [...]

Today On The Avenue we want to highlight an organization that is true to our heart. With a mission to create an opportunity for teenagers and adults with disabilities to develop socially, grow personally, and enjoy community as they experience life together, Friends Life Community shares so many of our core values. Founded in 2008, Friends life is based right here in [...]

Today On The Avenue we wanted to recognize Chris Ulmer, who is making a big splash in the disabled community. As a former special education teacher, Chris was a witness of the amazing things his students had to offer. In his efforts to show the rest of the world just how funny, engaging, and charismatic his students were, he attempted to publish a book of stories [...]

Cody Martin is an illustrator from Murfreesboro, Tennessee who is turning his lifelong love of drawing into a career that will allow him to become more self-sufficient. Instead of letting autism hinder him, he works very hard to purse his dreams of entertaining people with his gift. With direction and encouragement from the staff at Westwood Avenue, Cody is pursuing [...]

Today On The Avenue we want to share an inspiring story. Last month Kalin Bennett, 18, became the first person with autism to sign a letter of intent with a Division 1 University! He will be enrolling and playing basketball at Kent State next summer While Kalin had multiple offers from other colleges, he explained that he chose Kent University because of their [...]

Today On The Avenue we wanted to share something that caught our attention this week. The British Paraorchestra, founded by Charles Hazlewood and Claire Whalley in 2011, is a music ensemble made up of musicians both with and without disabilities. All of the members of the orchestra are leading musicians with huge amounts of passion and talent. They are the perfect [...]

Today On the Avenue I want to introduce you to Amethyst Schaber. Amythest is a young woman with autism, and an educator and public speaker focusing on disability and neurodiversity. On her website, neurowonderful.tumblr.com,  she covers a wide variety of topics all touching on autism, neurodiversity, and disability. She also has a YouTube series called “Ask an [...]

Today On The Avenue we wanted to share Becky Cox’s story. She is a young woman with Autism speaking about the negative stereotypes that people with her disability often face. You can view her TEDTalk below, where she touches on the vast differences between everyone on the spectrum, the challenges with diagnosis, and her experience growing up in the mainstream [...]