Board Member
David@LSAutism.org
When I was 56, an experienced and perceptive psychologist determined that I am autistic. Shortly after that, my confusing life began making sense. The more I learned about the autism spectrum, the more my life made sense. Eventually, I attended the Lower Shore Autism Community’s (LSAC) monthly Family Support meetings to learn more.
The LSAC team advocates for individuals on the spectrum and their families, connects them to resources and information, and builds a support community to achieve the organization’s vision: “We envision a world where individuals with autism are respected for who they are and are supported in their quest to live full lives.” I saw how genuinely each member of LSAC works to make this envisioned world real and felt humbled. I asked to join the LSAC team.
You see, I am concerned about the human quest to live full lives. Why?
Because I have common cause with similar people.
Because I am committed to equity—that each person should have the resources and opportunities for Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Because of something Terence, a former Roman slave and playwright, wrote about 2,180 years ago: “I am a human being; nothing human is alien to me.” It means that we are capable of understanding and empathizing with all aspects of the human experience, that everything related to humanity is not really unfamiliar or strange.
And the most important reason I care about our quest to live full lives is stated best by the academic, inventor, and autism spokesperson Temple Grandin: “The world definitely needs all the different kinds of minds.” I agree with her.
