Growing up, there have been people that didn’t expect me to survive the real world, because of the simple fact that I have Autism.

With Autism Awareness Month happening right now and for the rest of the duration of April, there has been a lot of efforts trying to raise awareness of what exactly Autism is, how can we improve our quality of life, what kind of programs are offering help and what things we can do to help someone with Autism.

While we have made progress, there are still people out there that don’t think people with Autism or any kind of disability will survive in the real world, due to the negative stigma that is associated with disabilities.

“People often think that people with disabilities are not as bright as they are, so they look down on them as inferior. Some people even think that the person is faking the symptoms for some reason. They don’t believe that autism if a real thing,” said student Kamie Petersen.

In the past, I have felt like having Autism would hold me back from doing more with my life. I kept thinking that I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything in life, or that I would be stuck doing a job that I didn’t enjoy. I didn’t realize until now that I was my own biggest critic; the only thing that was keeping me from success was me. I also realized that I am not stupid, I just have a different way of processing information.

“People need to see that often people on the autistic spectrum are actually quite smart. We process information differently than how others process it. We can show others through education of autism that we don’t know always how to express ourselves, so we do other things to try to compensate,” Peterson said.

I know that I have quirks, I know sometimes I jump to conclusions. Sometimes I don’t understand jokes right away. I know that sometimes I overreact to many situations, and sometimes I may get sensitive to the littlest things.

I know that I am not perfect.

One thing I do know is that despite my disability, I can succeed in life. I can be whatever I want to be. I don’t have to let the stigma get to me, I just have to know the right resources to turn to.

“Even if you have a disability, no matter what it is, you can overcome obstacles with help. The understanding of friends and family is very important. This is because they can help you and be supportive of you. Also, learning to have someone advocate for you or you advocate for yourself in things you need, such as special accommodations in school, is important. There are lots of resources or there for us to use,” Petersen said.

All you have to do is never give up, and keep your eyes on the prize. Disabilities don’t have to stop you from achieving a great future

“Stay strong. Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Find people in your life that will support you,” Petersen said.