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Russell Lehmann

About

Russell Lehmann is an award-winning and internationally recognized motivational speaker and poet with a platform of autism and mental health. His words have been featured in the USA Today, LA Times, NPR, Yahoo! News, Success Magazine and archived in the Library of Congress.

A graduate of MIT’s “Leadership in the Digital Age” course, Russell is on the national Board of Directors for The Arc, is a council member for the Autism Society of America, the Youth Ambassador for the mayor of Reno, Nevada, and has also sat on the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities as well as the Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Russell showed signs of autism as a newborn, however, he was not formally diagnosed until the age of 12 after suffering through five weeks in a lockdown psychiatric facility. In 2011, Russell wrote a book titled Inside Out: Stories and Poems from an Autistic Mind, which was featured in the LA Times, earned an Honorable Mention at the 2012 NY Book Festival, read by Temple Grandin, and won the award for Literary Excellency at the 2013 International Autistic People’s Awards in Vancouver, Canada. His new book, On the Outside Looking In, recently hit bookstores nationwide. In 2018, Russell was named as Reno-Tahoe’s “Most Outstanding Young Professional Under 40.” In 2019 and 2020, Russell lectured for the prestigious King’s College of London and the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Special Education in Abu Dhabi, respectively.

Russell currently travels the world spreading hope, awareness, and compassion in a raw and dynamic fashion, while also setting his sights on erasing the stigma and stereotypes that come with having a disability. Russell’s passion is to be a voice for the unheard, for he knows how difficult and frustrating it is to go unnoticed.

For more information about Russell and his work, visit his website at www.TheAutisticPoet.com and follow his journey on Instagram and Facebook.

Books by Russell Lehmann
Recent Posts
Autism brings joy
Yes, Autism Is a Disability
Personal Perspective: Some prefer to think of autism as simply a different way of thinking, instead of a disability. Here's why I consider that a slippery slope.
What Does Autism Really Look Like?
Personal Perspective: Autism is celebrated by many today as just " a different way of thinking," but what about the struggle that takes place behind these platitudes?
The Benefits of Embracing Our Suffering

Why do we tend to ignore one of the basic aspects of the human condition? And what might we be missing out on?

Why do we tend to ignore one of the basic aspects of the human condition? And what might we be missing out on?

Meditating With Cannabis

A Personal Perspective: How cannabis helps me understand my complex mind.

A Personal Perspective: How cannabis helps me understand my complex mind.

Lehmann speaking at the 2019 Autism Investor Summit.
Why I Hate Autism Awareness Month

People should be able to hear "autism" and think of an autistic individual as just a regular human who may need some additional supports and services.

People should be able to hear "autism" and think of an autistic individual as just a regular human who may need some additional supports and services.

When Invisible Disabilities and Police Collide

When I train police and describe to them the worst of my meltdowns, I am often met with: “If I didn't know you, I would think you were high on drugs.”

When I train police and describe to them the worst of my meltdowns, I am often met with: “If I didn't know you, I would think you were high on drugs.”