About Me

I’m Bird Sellergren, M.A., an autistic educator, researcher, and coach based in San Francisco. I am currently pursuing both a PhD at UC Berkeley and an EdD at San Francisco State University, with a focus on autism equity, interpretive literacy, and education systems.

My work centers on autism advocacy, access, and well-being, particularly for autistic adults navigating environments that were not designed with their neurology in mind. I bring together academic scholarship, nonprofit leadership, group facilitation, and lived experience to support individuals and organizations in developing approaches that are practical, ethical, and sustainable.

I am a late-diagnosed autistic adult, and my professional path has been shaped by noticing persistent gaps in services for autistic people across adulthood. Through both research and experience, I have intentionally built my practice to address those systemic gaps — emphasizing clarity, explicit structure, and self-determination rather than behavior change or compliance.

In my coaching and consulting work, I help autistic adults clarify priorities, design strategies that fit their neurotype, and build durable self-advocacy skills. My approach focuses on understanding context, constraints, and systems, and on creating supports that work in real life. This work is informed by long-term mindfulness practice, including silent meditation retreats, which shapes how I approach attention, regulation, and decision-making without pathologizing autistic experience.

Alongside 1:1 coaching, I work with organizations through trainings, workshops, and consulting on neurodiversity-affirming practice, accessibility, and inclusive system design. I am the founder of the Bay Area Autism Collective, a nonprofit providing peer support for autistic adults.

Across all of my roles, my work is grounded in the neurodiversity paradigm and informed by feminist, decolonial, and intersectional frameworks. I am committed to centering autistic perspectives, supporting autonomy, and helping people and institutions move from good intentions to concrete, workable practices.