Questions

lift weights and run on the treadmill or sometimes I do a bicycle class. In the spring and summer months one of my favorite things to do is go kayaking on the different bodies of water around here. I have taken many pictures of eagles, as well as that I took a picture of a loon and various other things like rainbows and waterfalls. I have a grandmother in Ireland and I love going over to visit her one or two times a year either by myself or with my family. Sometimes I just like hanging out with my friends and having a good time.

do you feel are a few of your biggest achievements?

I feel some of my biggest achievements in life have been graduating high school in 2013and soon

4What

to be a college graduate in May. Also, learning how to drive, knowing how to cook for myself and being independent in everyday life have been major accomplishments in my life.

is it important for people to know about people with Autism Spectrum Disorders?

I feel it is important for people to know about us as we are everyday people as well and we have feelings too. Throughout my life I have had many challenges. One of the challenges was middle and high school. Throughout these years I had a hard time starting and maintaining conversations. This made it harder to make friends and the more I tried, the more anxious I would get. Many of my peers didn’t except me for this especially in middle and high school and they would make fun of me — for example, call me names

5Why

and tease me. Some of the biggest things that were tough to navigate were the lunchroom and the hallways. These places gave me high anxiety and stress. Much like what I had to deal with in school, it’s hard for me to express myself in the workplace. People become impatient and sometimes annoyed when I cannot communicate quickly. In the workplace people bully me by trying to get me to make a fool of myself and take advantage of me, like by asking me for money and not paying me back. I feel things would be much better for people on the Autism Spectrum if employers and employees get training on how to deal with people like me to better understand us. I would like to see students and teachers get training on the Autism Spectrum as well. The general public should research it and have more of an understanding too.