Personal Narrative: Helping Adults With Autism

When I was 10 years old, I learned that my older brother, Michael, was autistic. I always knew that life was more challenging for him, but I did not fully understand the impact of having an autistic family member until I was older. Michael was diagnosed in the early 1990’s, when there were limited to no resources and supports available for those with autism and for their families. Many people do not understand what life is like for people with Autism and how challenging it can be for them to function in society.
During Michael’s time in high school, he was was constantly tormented by his classmates, which further complicated his life. Their lack of knowledge towards my brother's Autism negatively affected him for years. Once my brother graduated
from high school, my family had a difficult time finding an appropriate program for him to participate in as an adult. Many of the programs have been either below his learning abilities or too advanced for his disability, thus not truly benefiting my brother. My dream is to attend Hope College and major in business, so I can help solve the problem my brother and so many others with Autism experience. At Hope College, I want to obtain the skills and experiences needed to develop a program or school that offers an individualized curriculum that is better suited for those with developmental disabilities across the spectrum.
In order to ensure that I would be building a successful program to help adults with Autism, I would first need to complete my education and receive a business degree.
With this degree, I would have a foundation of how to correctly run and fund a program in order to ensure its success. I would make sure all of the staff members were experts in working with special needs adults. In addition, I would input a progress monitoring system so I could not only hold the staff accountable, but make sure students and their families are excelling and making progress throughout the program. One of the biggest differences between this program and many others would be no age limit. Students would have the ability to stay in the program for the entirety of their life with no exceptions. This would not only help students to learn, it would give them a sense of community, and help the parents to know that regardless of their age, the students have a place to excel and grow. Unless someone has a family member with Autism, it can be difficult for people to understand the hardships that their families go through. From finding jobs, to continuing their education, it is extremely stressful and often goes unresolved. I would love to attend Hope College and gain the skills necessary to build a program to help people like my brother. I want to help give families the peace of mind that their child would excel in society, have friends and continue to learn, there would be no better feeling in
life.