Autism to be the Subject of the Final Convocation Lecture for 2012-13

Release date: March 11, 2013

Elaine Hall will present a lecture concerning autism on Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m. in the Branigin Room of the Napolitan Student Center as part of Franklin College's 2012-13 Convocation Lecture Series.

Hall, inspired by her autistic son and her job as a Hollywood acting coach, created The Miracle Project, a program that uses theater and film to help autistic children develop social skills. The Miracle Project was profiled in an Emmy-winning documentary called "Autism: The Musical." Hall also directs an arts enrichment and education program at Vista Del Mar, a center in California that helps people with developmental challenges.

Hall blogs for The Huffington Post and has been featured on CNN, CBS, Oprah Radio, Autism Radio, The LA Times, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She has received awards from several people and organizations including Senator Fran Pavley and Autism Speaks. Los Angeles Magazine named her one of "Los Angeles's 50 Most Inspiring Women." Hall's memoir "Now I See the Moon" was highlighted during World Autism Awareness Day. She has recently presented a new book entitled "Seven Keys to Unlock Autism: Creating Miracles in the Classroom."

The lecture will be free and open to the public.

Due to a scheduling conflict, this event will replace the lecture scheduled for the same date by Temple Grandin.

Each year, the college hosts the lecture series based on one of its five core values - respect, honesty, responsibility, faith and lifelong pursuit of learning. This year's focus is on responsibility, defined as the capacity to accept the outcomes of one's actions and the strength to choose those actions which will positively affect one's life and the lives of others in the community.

For more information, contact the Franklin College Office of Marketing and Communications at (317) 738-8185.

Founded in 1834, Franklin College is a residential four-year undergraduate liberal arts institution with a scenic, wooded campus located 20 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis. The college prepares men and women for challenging careers and fulfilling lives through the liberal arts, offering its approximately 1,000 students 28 majors, 36 minors and eight pre-professional programs. In 1842, the college began admitting women, becoming the first coeducational institution in Indiana and the seventh in the nation. Franklin College maintains a voluntary association with the American Baptist Churches USA. For more information, visit www.franklincollege.edu.