Autism has been a part of my life for its entirety. My uncle Dave has been jumping, flapping, and holding my family to a strict routine for as long as I can remember. My grandmother, a frustrated and liberated woman of the 1960s, started a foundation for people with disabilities in our community due to the lack of options she had for her son. Today, Camp Venture serves thousands of people, both adults and children all with varying disabilities. I have the privilege of working at one such after school program. My group happens to be mostly made up of students with severe autism. Although they cannot speak, they have said so very much. My students have taught me to celebrate victories, no matter how seemingly small. They have taught me to love and be loved for all that we are and all that we can be. I have learned above all to not only accept, but truly appreciate the uniqueness of each individual I come across. No college class, scholarly article, nor long winded lecture could have taught these valuable life lessons. Autism empowered my grandmother to seek a better life for her son and the millions like him. Autism has given me the inspiration to work with the students I so very much love and to encourage them to appreciate their wonderful uniqueness as much as I do. Awareness, acceptance and appreciation is the very least I could offer in return. Autism truly does speak, all we have to do is listen.

Meghan
Rockland, NY