Ava Xiao-Lin Rigelhaupt is a writer, DEIA + Autism consultant, and public speaker. As a Chinese, Jewish, autistic, transracial adoptee, Ava shares her lived experiences in a way that's easily understandable and entertaining for a wide audience.
Ava writes for the PBS Kids animated series, Carl the Collector, premiering November 2024! It's PBS's first series centering an autistic character.
Ava received a Drama Desk Special Award for Authentic Autistic Representation recognizing her work as the Autistic Creative Consultant on the Broadway musical, How to Dance in Ohio! This joyous, family-friendly musical follows seven autistic young adults (authentically cast) at a social skills center in Ohio, as they come of age, forge connections, and prepare for a formal dance. It premiered on Broadway December 2023 and is going to the UK in 2025! (It's based on Alexandra Shiva's award-winning HBO documentary of the same name.)
As a consultant, Ava reviews scripts, discusses disability tropes, edits character sketches, writes casting calls, and educates studios on best practices for accessible workplaces and events. Projects include: Apple TV+ movie "Cha Cha Real Smooth" & Disney series "The Ghost and Molly McGee" season 2.
As an often called upon public speaker and panelist, she shares best practices working with the neurodiverse community and creating authentic characters, tools for producing accessible events, and how her own identity breaks stereotypes! Highlights: SXSW, Disney, The Kennedy Center, Stanford, ACLU, Television Critics Association, Autism in Entertainment, The Hollywood Reporter, Actors' Equity.