Inclusion and more

There are many myths that surround autism but I decided to highlight a few to give people an overview on what it's like to have autism myself.  Myth: When I interact with people, I mean to put them in the spotlight and make them feel awkward No that is not accurate. Interaction is pivotal in everyone's growth. When I interact with people at work, home or in my personal life, I don't mean to make them feel uncomfortable.  I interact with people to show I care about them.   When people interact with me, they realize I am a genuine and caring person. As with any disability,  it takes people a while to acclimate with people who have autism and as a result people often make assumptions about why I interacted with them and how the interaction was met to make them feel. Often times in some cases those assumptions can hurt me as a person and turn something into an awkward situation. Stop and think before you assume something. You wi...

As you might know, I work at Christ Lutheran School in Phoenix and when I started at the school my mom and I knew I needed a job coach so we reached out to the principal who paired me up with Jessica Hartigan. Jessica worked with me to help me understand the campus and  my schedule and has been there when I needed help. Jessica has been a complete godsend in the eyes of my mom and I as she's allowed me to text her questions late at night and when she's been on trips.   The #1 thing that made it so easy for Jessica and I to simply understand each other was the fact we are only a year apart age wise- she is 22 years old and I am 21 years old going on 22 on February 3.  Throughout our time working together at Christ Lutheran School, we discovered that we shared many similarities such as the fact that we both have family at Christ Lutheran School- her brother Ethan goes to school at CLS and is in 3rd grade and my cousins Will and Andrew Eaton and Charlie and Tommy Schmidt g...

People who have disabilities want to fit in- in society.  It is often awkward interacting with a person with a disability for the first time.  One simple way you can break the ice and make it less awkward is by simply saying "Hi" to someone with a disability. If a  a simple "hi" makes your day, imagine how it would the day of someone with a disability. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, the company that makes Ipads and laptop and desktop computers, recently filmed this video for the Cerebral Palsy foundation about their just "Say hi" campaign but I feel like it relates with all disabilities not just cerebral palsy.  Tim Cook, Apple CEO, encourages people to "say hi" to people with disabilities ! On the job at Christ Lutheran School and New Way Academy and in the community, it means the world to me when people say hi to me. The best part of teaching is when my students say hi to me.