™Autism Storytelling & Advocacy Initiative
Executive Summary
The Hillary Stories Project™ documents and shares the lived experiences of individuals with autism, their families, and caregivers through storytelling and public education. The initiative recognizes that personal experiences can contribute to greater understanding by highlighting the diverse realities of autism across different families and communities.
Based in Virginia and intended for broader audiences, the initiative uses storytelling as a way to encourage informed conversations about autism while preserving personal experiences that may support advocacy, education, and community awareness.
Our Program Areas
Documentary Storytelling
Documentary Storytelling will be a signature program area of The Hillary Stories Project™, using ethical, authentic, and visually compelling storytelling to document the lived experiences of autistic individuals, families, caregivers, siblings, advocates, professionals, and communities across different cultures and stages of life.
The program will move beyond traditional autism-awareness content by documenting the whole life journey—early childhood, diagnosis, education, communication, adolescence, adulthood, employment, relationships, housing, caregiving, aging, and future planning.
At its heart, Documentary Storytelling will ensure that people are not reduced to a diagnosis, a hardship, or an inspirational moment.
The guiding principle will be:
Every life holds a story. Every story carries a voice. Every voice can help change understanding.
Parent & Caregiver Narratives
Parent & Caregiver Narratives will be a core program area of The Hillary Stories Project™, dedicated to documenting, preserving, and amplifying the authentic experiences of parents, guardians, siblings serving as caregivers, and other family caregivers supporting autistic children, youth, and adults.
Behind every appointment, school meeting, communication breakthrough, employment transition, housing decision, and future-care plan is often a caregiver carrying responsibilities that the public rarely sees. This program will provide a dignified platform for those experiences—not to portray autistic individuals as burdens, but to illuminate the love, advocacy, resilience, sacrifice, uncertainty, systems barriers, and long-term responsibilities that shape family caregiving.
The guiding principle will be:
When we listen to caregivers, we do more than hear their stories—we begin to understand the systems families need in order to thrive.
Youth Autism Voices
Youth Autism Voices will be a youth-centered storytelling, leadership, self-advocacy, and creative-expression program under The Hillary Stories Project™, designed to create safe, accessible opportunities for autistic children, teenagers, and young adults to express their experiences, perspectives, identities, aspirations, concerns, and ideas in the communication formats that work best for them.
The program should be grounded in one essential principle:
Young autistic people should not grow up hearing everyone else explain who they are. They deserve meaningful opportunities to communicate their own experiences, in their own ways.
Youth Autism Voices should therefore recognize speech, AAC, typing, sign, art, photography, music, animation, video, movement, and other accessible forms of expression as valid ways of having a voice.
Digital Advocacy Campaigns
Digital Advocacy Campaigns will be the public-engagement and social-impact arm of The Hillary Stories Project™, transforming authentic stories from autistic individuals, youth, parents, caregivers, siblings, and communities into strategic digital campaigns that increase understanding, challenge stigma, elevate underrepresented experiences, mobilize supporters, and inspire measurable action.
The goal will go beyond social-media visibility. The program will use digital storytelling to connect lived experience with a specific issue, a clear solution, and an achievable call to action.
The guiding principle will be:
A story creates connection. Advocacy gives that connection direction. Action turns it into change.
Podcast & Media Production
Podcast & Media Production will serve as the ongoing media, education, and public-conversation platform of The Hillary Stories Project™, creating accessible, high-quality content that elevates autistic voices, documents caregiver experiences, brings experts and communities into meaningful conversations, and connects audiences with practical solutions across the lifespan.
While Documentary Storytelling can capture in-depth individual journeys and Digital Advocacy Campaigns can mobilize audiences around specific issues, Podcast & Media Production can provide the Foundation with a consistent year-round voice—allowing THEA to educate, engage, advocate, and build relationships with audiences locally, nationally, and internationally.
The guiding principle will be:
We will not simply talk about autism. We will create platforms where autistic people, families, caregivers, professionals, and communities can shape the conversation.
Advancing Autism Inclusion
Connect with us to learn how our programs, advocacy efforts, and community initiatives support greater inclusion for individuals with autism and their families. Meaningful collaboration helps expand understanding, encourage participation, and strengthen support across diverse communities.
