Empathy and Social Progress Through an Autistic Lens

CASY Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (ethnography project led by Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes) is delighted to welcome Sam Farmer on Friday, February 6, 2026, 12-1 p.m. EST (9 a.m. PST, 5 p.m. GMT, 6 p.m. CET). There is no cost to attend, and international participants are invited to join.

TOPIC: Empathy and Social Progress Through an Autistic Lens. I cannot think of an act that could do more to address society’s ills than empathy. I lament that I don’t see enough of it being practiced. Not nearly enough. The ability to see another individual's perspective, to metaphorically "walk in their shoes," could be transformative if practiced at scale. During this presentation, I will discuss the various ways in which empathy may be exercised, the barriers that stand in its way and how more of it could help bring us closer together, all through my uniquely autistic lens. Relevant Reading: Autistic Personal Philosophy: Empathy and Social Progress https://tinyurl.com/4dkbwctn

BRIEF BIO: Sam Farmer is an information technology consultant, neurodiversity advocate, writer, author and public speaker. Identified later in life as autistic, he writes articles, records podcasts and presents at libraries, conferences and for corporations and autism community organizations, sharing stories of lived experiences and his opinions on a variety of topics of relevance to the neurodiversity and disability communities. 𝘼 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙖 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙤𝙖𝙙 - 𝙎𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙨, 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨, & 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙝𝙨 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙇𝙚𝙣𝙨 is his first book. To learn more, visit https://www.samfarmerauthor.com/

ABOUT Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (CASY): An 'ethnography' is an exploration of how a group of people express themselves in a cultural way. Autistic people have a growing kind of culture, and each autistic experience is a vital part of it. Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes is an anthropologist, ethnographer, primatologist, and author who is autistic. Join her for an exploration of the importance of autistic self-expression and the culture that grows from it. Those who wish to share their content are free to do so on our private Facebook groups (see below), organically contributing to a growing autistic culture.

Links to online events will also be shared on these private Facebook groups: CASY Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (recommended for autistic adults) and SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY FOR AUTISM (recommended for allies, professionals, and family members).

CREDITS: The preparation of this material was financed under an agreement with the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities (CTCDD). CASY Sparks membership and events are free. CASY Sparks is sponsored in part by The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Adult Autism Research Fund, and Dr. Roger Jou