Inclusion and more

When I was a sophomore in high school, one of my teachers encouraged me to share my story about my journey with autism in front of a shool-wide asssembly at Chaparral High School whcih had over 2,000 people in attendance including teachers, students and our administration team to name a few. Also in attendance at this assembly were my mom, my grandma, Best Buddies Arizona staff and my friend Austin Rector, who at the time was a student at Hamilton High School and involved in Best Buddies. Following this speech I realized I had a natural gift for public speaking that God gave me with so I decided to seek out additional speaking opportunities. Over my years of speaking, I have spoken in front of many unforgettable audiences including:  2013: Best Buddies Arizona Spirit of Friendship Gala In 2013, I was the recipient of the Spirit of Courage Aware from the For Those without a Voice Foundation and as a result I got to speak in front of over 100 at the Best Buddies Arizona Spirit of Fri...

A few years ago, I wrote a blog appropriately titled " What Happens When the "Yellow" Bus Stops Coming " and in this blog I covered: inclusive housing opportunities, inclusive post-secondary education programs for those with disabilities and how resources like Vocational Rehabilitation can help those with disabilities secure and maintain competitive integrated employment. I am back in 2024 to cover how we can continue to advocate for an "inclusion revolution" for those with disabilities in all capacities.  Receiving the news that your family member- son or daughter, niece or nephew or grandchild, has a disability of any kind is life-changing. Parents and caregivers of those with disabilities- such as autism- don't often know what to do. They often get lost in a sea of acronyms for services- ALTCS, AHCCS, DDD and VR or acronyms like IEP or ISP. These acronyms become all to overwhelming for all involved which makes it t...

Love. Hope. Accept. Accept. Educate. Empower. These are common sayings related to Autism Awareness. Even though April is usually associated with Autism Acceptance and Awareness Month, Autism Acceptance and Awareness can also last into all year long.  When I was 15 years old, I was officially diagnosed with autism. Before I was diagnosed, I started to experience typical signs related to autism such as a difficultly making and keeping friends, challenges with socialization and black-and-white thinking, so when I officially got diagnosed I was relieved. The journey begun right away for me to educate those who love me, know me and work with me about autism. I got to work  creating this blog that I utilize to share my story on.   As Dr. Stephen Shore is quoted saying: If you've met one person with autism. You've only met one person with autism!" Autism is a spectrum so each person who has it requires a diffe...

In a few days, I will turn 30 years old and I recently watched the hit movie: 13 going on 30.  My journey to get to my 30s has been filled with accomplishments and opportunities to educate those I love, admire and respect about autism.  When I was first diagnosed with autism, I struggled to make friends, deal with changes to my schedule and not see things as black and white. These struggles in all honesty still present themselves. I try not let autism define me  because in God's image I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God made me to educate anyone about autism through public speaking and giving presentations. My journey become a public speaker started when I was a sophomore at Chaparral High School and I was asked to speak during a school-wide assembly which had over 2,000 people- staff and students in attendance. After this speech, I realized I had a gift of speaking in front of big groups- ranging in si...