Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Free certificates of participation are available upon successful completion of a brief knowledge quiz at autism.org/disability-and-race
Dr. Amber Davis a Research Associate at the Disability Health Research Center. As a licensed clinical social worker with 7+ years of clinical experience in underserved communities, Dr. Davis has an intersectional lens for supporting minoritized persons with disabilities. As a trauma-informed clinician scientist, Dr. Davis’s research investigates the role of cumulative adversities and intersectional resiliency factors on the transition to adulthood/early adulthood for Black young adults with developmental disabilities with a focus on autism. She brings a micro-level perspective to providing culturally relevant interventions coupled with a macro-level lens to disrupt ableism and racism more upstream.
Dr. Davis is pioneering in her work to center the experiences of doubly marginalized transition-age youth and adults for the improvement of this population’s health outcomes across the adult lifespan. She has publications in peer-reviewed journals specific to this population and other disability areas. She has influence on the national level, with the local community, and in academic/clinical settings with the intent of raising consciousness and advancing intersectional disability justice.
Dr. Davis earned a B.S. in Family Youth and Community Sciences from the University of Florida, an MSW from Florida State University, and a PhD in Social Work from Howard University. She has trained as a T-32 postdoctoral scholar at the UC Davis MIND Institute and Johns Hopkins University to develop her knowledge and research expertise in autism and addressing trauma in diverse populations, including the Black population and persons with developmental disabilities.
4:00 – Introduction & context
9:45 – What is autism
11:40 – Autism-related disparities
14:13 – Adult disparities
17:00 – Intersectionality
21:06 – Resilience research findings
25:00 – Findings on intersectional experiences
28:00 – Culturally appropriate interventions
31:00 – Implications
33:50 – Conclusions
35:00 – Q&A
Free certificates of participation are available upon successful completion of a brief knowledge quiz at autism.org/disability-and-race
Dr. Amber Davis a Research Associate at the Disability Health Research Center. As a licensed clinical social worker with 7+ years of clinical experience in underserved communities, Dr. Davis has an intersectional lens for supporting minoritized persons with disabilities. As a trauma-informed clinician scientist, Dr. Davis’s research investigates the role of cumulative adversities and intersectional resiliency factors on the transition to adulthood/early adulthood for Black young adults with developmental disabilities with a focus on autism. She brings a micro-level perspective to providing culturally relevant interventions coupled with a macro-level lens to disrupt ableism and racism more upstream.
Dr. Davis is pioneering in her work to center the experiences of doubly marginalized transition-age youth and adults for the improvement of this population’s health outcomes across the adult lifespan. She has publications in peer-reviewed journals specific to this population and other disability areas. She has influence on the national level, with the local community, and in academic/clinical settings with the intent of raising consciousness and advancing intersectional disability justice.
Dr. Davis earned a B.S. in Family Youth and Community Sciences from the University of Florida, an MSW from Florida State University, and a PhD in Social Work from Howard University. She has trained as a T-32 postdoctoral scholar at the UC Davis MIND Institute and Johns Hopkins University to develop her knowledge and research expertise in autism and addressing trauma in diverse populations, including the Black population and persons with developmental disabilities.
4:00 – Introduction & context
9:45 – What is autism
11:40 – Autism-related disparities
14:13 – Adult disparities
17:00 – Intersectionality
21:06 – Resilience research findings
25:00 – Findings on intersectional experiences
28:00 – Culturally appropriate interventions
31:00 – Implications
33:50 – Conclusions
35:00 – Q&A
