RIT Sponsors Lecture by Temple Grandin, Oct. 30

Temple Grandin—a leader in autism advocacy and animal welfare—will speak in Rochester later this month.

Grandin will present “Autism, Animals and Design” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30, in the main auditorium of The Harley School, 1981 Clover St., in Brighton. The event—free and open to the public—is sponsored by Rochester Institute of Technology’s Department of English and Upstate New York Families for Effective Autism Treatment.

Grandin’s talk coincides with the publication of her latest books, The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger’s and the forthcoming Animals Make Us Human. Her other works include Thinking in Pictures and Animals in Translation, a New York Times bestseller. Grandin’s books will be available for purchase and signing following the event.

Diagnosed with autism at age 3, Grandin is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. She obtained a bachelor’s from Franklin Pierce College, a master’s degree in animal science from Arizona State University, and a doctorate in animal science from the University of Illinois. Her innovative designs, intended to reduce stress on animals, have been adopted by nearly half of all livestock handling facilities in North America.

Grandin’s personal story has appeared on 60 Minutes, 20/20, CNN Larry King Live, the Today show and National Public Radio. People magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Time and Discover magazines have also profiled her life and career. In 2006, Grandin was the subject of a BBC documentary The Woman Who Thinks like a Cow.

Additional co-sponsors of Grandin’s talk include RIT President’s Commission on Pluralism and Inclusion, Animal Welfare Trust, Rochester Regional Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, RIT Disability Services, and RIT Department of School Psychology.

For more information, contact Peggy Mack at RIT at (585) 475-6928 or Upstate New York Families for Effective Autism Treatment at www.unyfeat.org or (585) 234-1220.

MEDIA ADVISORY: To arrange a telephone interview with Temple Grandin in advance of her lecture, contact Peggy Mack at (585) 475-6928.