Inclusion and more

  During this past week, I celebrated Christmas at work and with my family. I was reminded that Jesus is the reason for the SEASON!  I loved all the gifts I received from my parents, boyfriend, co-workers and friends. But Jesus was the ultimate gift. Jesus knows his plans for each and every person who follows him. Jesus calls us to go to church and follow him no matter the situation- pandemic or not.  On Christmas night, we were singing "Mary Did You Know" with my mom's family. It is a powerful song and has no much meaning. The part where it says the following was really powerful: This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would give sight to a blind man? Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would calm the storm with his hand? Whole song:  Mary Did you Know After we sang it, I felt compelled to be vulnerable and share the following:  Lately, I have been thinking why am I different? Why do I have autism? It's been ...

 Dear family and friends and work family,  Thanksgiving 2020 is QUICKLY approaching. I know it's extremely tough and hard to find the blessings during a tough year because of COVID and everything that comes with it including social distancing, quarantining and mask mandates. The blessings are endless and God calls us to celebrate EVEN THE LITTLE BLESSINGS. 2020 has been a year of big and small blessings for me.  Just a few months ago I an unemployed and unsure about my future. I spent countless hours praying to God and applying for jobs with my job coach from HOPE Group. Honestly I got discouraged when I kept getting rejection about rejection BUT I had absolutely no idea I would find an amazing job. I accepted my current position with BridgeWater Assisted Living and Memory Care Midtown after I interviewed at the main office for the management company Solterra. I was so eager to start working that I completed my on-boarding process in one day. Yes one dasy for all necessar...

I know I have posted this frequently, but I want to share the story of how I met my boyfriend Adam.  In 2010, I needed an extra donation to meet fundraising goal for the BBAZ Friendship Walk as I had asked all of my teachers, friends and family to donate. I couldn't think of anyone else to ask. I scanned Facebook and found Adam Pitts. I sent him a private message with my fundraising page and a brief paragraph about what Best Buddies has done in my life. He donated.  In 2015, I officially met him in personal at a Chaparral High School alumni event put on by our Life Skills Center Special Ed program. I had no idea he was so sweet until I met him in person.  We talked and bowled together. Before the event was done, Adam came up to my mom to tell her that he was inspired by my story. My mom still remembers this unforgettable conversation today.  We started dating officially in  July 2016 after I asked him to be my boyfriend. Yes I asked him when the guy normally ask...

Approximately 7.3% of people with disaiblities are unemployed. Imagine yourself without a job to go to everyday with co-workers and supervisors who support you.  I recently started a job at BridgeWater Assisted Living and Memory Care Midtown! My parents know family friends who work for Solterra Properties, which owns BridgeWater. A few months ago, my job coach Fiona took me to an interview at Solterra's main office in Scottsdale. We had the inteview with BridgeWater and Solterra employees. I got offered the job on the spot as their Dining Room Attendant at the Midtown location. Let me share a cool story. I started finding out I knew more and more people who worked for BridgeWater. My cousin Brittany's friend Morgan Kemp's mom does marketing for all of BridgeWater's communities. I am currently working in the kitchen/dining room. I help assemble silverware place settings, make salads and bus tables. I deliver meals to seniors on different floors sometimes. I love getting ...

 Lately I have been learning about how to be a LEADER at work and in life instead of being a boss.  I want to share with you some key traits of GOOD LEADERS 1. Leaders INSPIRE OTHERS Some of the best leaders I know including my dad Doug who used to run Vantage Mobility International, a local company that converts vans by lowering the floor to make them work for people with disabilities, inspire people. Leaders inspire people by trying their best and having a passion for what they do. 2. Leaders TAKE CRITICISM WITHOUT GETTING DEFENSIVE As a leader and employee, I am all about continuously improving myself. I benefit from receiving constructive criticism from supervisors and co-workers. A good leader takes criticism without getting defensive. Feedback helps people grow and learn how they can do better.  REAL LIFE STORY: At a job I used to have, I used to get so scared to meet with my bosses when they had feedback. I would get sweaty palms and have bad nerves. I didn't rea...

  My name is Lindsey Eaton. I am 26 years old. I have autism. I want to share with you my experiences living with autism during a worldwide pandemic. When the Coronavirus first became a pandemic I was frustrated. I was mad that my routine was taken away from me. A routine that consisted of working and volunteering in the community at the Arizona Science Center. A routine that was interrupted by not waking up consistently, having frequent anxiety meltdowns. These meltdowns would involve me crying to myself in my apartment and not talking to anybody about how I was feeling.  As more time went on, I realized there was only so much I could change. I realized there would eventually be more routine. I realized that attending First Place-Phoenix community life events, participating in Zoom calls for Best Buddies and adding services through HOPE Group would add to my  routine significantly. I also realized that I wasn't alone. More people started to come forward and share their m...

Founded in 1997, HOPE Group provides services including habilitation, vocational rehabilitation and job coaching for people with disabilities. I started receiving habilitation services through HOPE Group when I graduated from Chaparral High School. I worked on goals like cooking, cleaning and budgeting with my providers.  A few years later, I was the Autism Expo at Ability360 with Mary DeCarlo, who originally worked at SARRC. I stumbled up on HOPE Group's table. I grabbed information from them.  Let's go fast forward to today!  I had no idea that I would be lucky enough to receive services again through HOPE Group now that I live independently. I was hoping and praying for an opportunity to get involved with them again.  A few months ago, I received a text from one of their staff members, Allison, to set up VR services. I was reluctant to set up this service but once I met Allison over Webex I realized I wanted to do it.  It didn't take long for Allison and I to...

  My name is Lindsey Eaton and I am 26 years old. I have autism but it doesn't define me.  I am a driven, hard-working and tenacious individual. At a young age, I struggled with making friends, dealing with change and not seeing things as black and white.  I didn't have one friend because people would often overlook the little things about me like the fact that the minute they met me I didn't talk to them.  It was tough for me watching my sisters have friends over to my parents house. I currently live at First Place- Phoenix in my own apartment and cook my meals, budget my money and attend First Place- Phoenix Community Life events! Once I found organizations like Best Buddies, the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center and Special Olympics AZ, I started to make friends. It didn't take long for me to become a person who had friends over often. There is no doubt that over time, I started to loosen up more. I started to make plans with friends. I was no longer o...

We are in times when a lot of our communication is done virtually via Zoom or Google Meets. It's still important to practice the following communication skills. GENERAL:  1. Body language Body language is extremely key right now. When you don't look at someone, you are conveying you're not interested in talking to them. If you look at them with your eyes, you show that you are interested. 55% of our communication is done through body language. How would you feel if you  were talking to someone and they weren't interested? Probably not good. 2. People skills People skills like practicing empathy are extremely important right now. We all need someone who supports us during these tough times. Other than empathy, it's very important to practice basic people skills like knowing someone's name or learning details about them like if they have any brothers and sisters or where they are from. For many of my friends or professional mentors, I have notes for them like when...

The universality of autism is coming more known. 1 in 54  people have autism. Yes it is spectrum. There is a quote I go by that I have heard staff from the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center use: If you know one person with autism. You only know one person with autism!" You might know a person with autism who barely speaks.  They can play piano. While another person with autism can speak in front of big groups.                                     Here are 3 learning lessons I have learned as a person on the autism spectrum.  1. Independence IS POSSIBLE I have learned that independence is possible. I graduated from the First Place Transition Academy, operated by SARRC, in 2018. I learned how to cook my own meals, budget my mone and take public transportation like the light rail to and from classes at GateWay Community College. After that, I moved in to First Place-Phoenix. ...

I have been involved in Best Buddies for over 7 years, and here are 5 reasons why I love Best Buddies 1. Leadership Conference I have attended Leadership Conference since 2011 and enjoy every moment of it. When we start landing at Indianapolis International Airport, I have a huge smile on my face knowing I get to attend a conference that will help me expand my involvement in Best Buddies. I have met amazing staff and participants. One of my favorite things to do is to get in the shuttles/vans at the conference and ask the volunteers or staff THEIR stories of why they volunteer or work for Best buddies. The Opening and Closing Ceremonies are a highlight. I love the speeches, the performances and the enthusiasm from participants and staff also.  2. The Young Leaders Council I served on the Young Leaders when I graduated from high school. I wanted to get involved in Best Buddies at a national...

Dear friends, family, co-workers and past Friendship Walk donors Happy 2020! It's officially 2020 and I am writing this blog post to request donations for my fundraising efforts for the 2020 Best Buddies Arizona Friendship Walk!  Best Buddies which was founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, operates 51 school friendship chapters, a Citizens adult friendship program and soon the Best Buddies Jobs program. In Arizona, we impact 17,660 participants. I first joined Best Buddies when I was a freshman at Chaparral High School and instantly gained new friends. Best Buddies helped me belong in a campus of of 2,000 students. When I was a sophomore at Chaparral, I was paired in a friendship with my peer buddy Elaine. We went to the movies, went bowling, met each others friends and families and attended Best Buddies Arizona events. We won High School Buddy Pair of the Year in 2011 for forming a strong friends...