Inclusion and more

The Best Buddies International Young Leaders Council recently rolled out their 2016-17 application.  The YLC is looking for Best Buddies participants who are passionate about Best Buddies and inclusion their community.   I served a two year term on the Young Leaders Council and can tell you about how much it changed my life.  I  was selected to serve on the YLC shortly before Leadership Conference 2013 and had it change my life.  Erica Brody interviewed me and we became best friends. There was this one day during LC 2013 that the schedule got to be too overwhelming and I asked Erica to take me aside and I started crying to her as it was too much for me to handle.  After a few minutes I felt better.   During the conference, I got to know my fellow YLC members while we did bonding activities.  One thing we did was throw around a beach ball and share part of our Best Buddies story. ...

Ever wonder what my life was like before Best Buddies and with autism- life was challenging without Best Buddies on the campuses of my elementary and middle school. I was often drawn to the teachers who were higher in authority at both schools because they would never judge me. They accepted me and let me talk to them! Autism has its challenges such as developing friendships with my peers, a struggle with using my voice because of being afraid of what people would think of what I said and accepting constructive criticism! When I came to Chaparral High School, one of my teachers encouraged me to join Best Buddies as a buddy. I had my life changed right away as friendships came into my life and was included in school-wide assemblies, had friends to celebrate my birthdays with and went to Prom.  I was paired with three buddies Elaine Helton, Meaghan Tracey and Katie Asher. We all enjoyed going shopping, going to the movies and attending Best Buddies events for BBAZ and Chaparral Hig...

A few months ago, Jenny Anderson from Celebrate Autism, a Phoenix non-profit organization that helps people with disabilities realize their dreams of becoming entrepreneurs, led a Best Buddies Ambassador training about the mission of Celebrate Autism and ideas of small business companies that can be created. Every Ambassador had to come with an idea of a small business they want to start. My idea was to write a book about what it's like to have autism.  For many years, I have wanted to put into writing what it's like to be diagnosed with autism and what it's like when I am told I cannot do something or when someone makes an assumption.  I have been hesitant to write a book as it takes time and I have not always had a lot of spare time.  But 2016 is my year to writing a book. I made decent progress on the book while my family was in Hawaii.  While they would be on the beach, I would stay in my room where I could process ideas out loud...