Five Questions
Saratoga Bridges and the Upstate Autism Alliance in cooperation with Skidmore College’s Psychology Department are hosting the sixth annual Autism Expo & Art Exhibit presented by The Law Offices of Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC on Sunday, April 23 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Saratoga Springs City Center. In recognition of April being Autism Awareness Month, here is a man who is a role model and successfully accomplishing many things. 1 Who are you and where do you live?
My name is Andrew Paolano and I am 23 years old. I live up in Queensbury with my Mom and Dad. I also have a sister and a brother, but they are busy and not always home. I have one pet - a dog named Cara. Cara is really cute. She’s an Australian Shepherd and all she wants to do is give you unconditional love. I am hoping I can live on my own someday in an apartment or house. That is one of my goals.
2 Where do you work and volunteer?
This past winter I had seasonal jobs working for West Mountain Ski Center. Specifically, I was working at the Tubing Park. I also had a second job working for the Adirondack Thunder Hockey Team. I am not done as they made the playoffs this year. I am currently looking for a summer job and I have put in a few applications already. I am hardworking and punctual. If you’re a business looking to hire, please consider me. For volunteer work, I am a Weather Watcher for the Channel 10 Weather Department in Albany. I have been a Weather Watcher for years and I plan to be one for many more years to come. I send in reports everyday that include temperature, wind speed, dew point, barometric pressure, rainfall, snowfall in the winter and, lastly, what the current condition is outside. During storms and bad weather, I send in several reports a day. Another program I volunteer for is (UNYAA) Upstate New York Autism Alliance. UNYAA is a non-profit organization for kids with Autism. They offer sports such as soccer, basketball and may add kickball. Also, they have holiday parties.
3 When you are not working, what do you like to do for fun?
I like to track and make my own weather forecasts. I have my own weather forecasting page called “Andrew Paolano’s Northeast Weather Forecasting”. I like watching the channel 10 meteorologists every night. When I’m not involved with the weather, I like to bring Cara on walks and hikes. I am very into looking after my health and enjoy going to the gym to 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. 4 What 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 2013 and soon 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. 5 Why 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 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.