HI MY NAME IS JUSTIN I HAVE NON-SPEAKING AUTISM. I WANT TO HELP OTHER NON-SPEAKERS FIND THEIR VOICE. I’M A PERSON WITH A VOICE. I HAVE A LOT TO SAY. I EMINENTLY WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR MY AUTISTIC COMMUNITY.

I SPENT 28 YEARS OF MY LIFE IN SILENCE. HAVING SO MUCH TO SAY AND NOT ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WAS THE MOST FRUSTRATING THING TO ENDURE. I WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING TO HELP NONSPEAKERS GET THEIR VOICE. IM HOPING THAT MY JOURNEY WILL BE AN INSPIRATION TO OTHERS. LEARNING TO SPELL TO COMMUNICATE (S2C) HAS BEEN A LIFE CHANGER FOR ME. HOPE IS NOT MEARLY A WORD, IT CAN BE A REALITY. JUST BELIEVE IN YOUR CHILD AND MOST IMPORTANTLY BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. WE CAN’T FIND OUR VOICE ALONE.

BEFORE SPELLING TO COMMUNICATE I OFTEN FELT FRUSTRATION AND ANXIETY. I WANTED TO HAVE A VOICE BUT FELT TRAPPED IN AN UNCOOPERATIVE BODY. BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE HAS CHANGED MY LIFE IN INNUMEROUS WAYS. ALL POSITIVE. I FEEL HEARD AND LOVED BEYOND EXPLANATION.

MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO ARE SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY, SPREAD A MESSAGE OF LOVE, WORK OUT, WRITE POEMS, AND WRITE LYRICS FOR SONGS.

I HAVE WORKED HARD ON LEARNING TO COMMUNICATE BY USING SPELLING TO COMMUNICATE(S2C) AS A VEHICLE TO FIND MY VOICE. I WANT PEOPLE TO PRESUME COMPETENCE AND KNOW THAT I AM SMART, I HAVE EMOTIONS, AND I AM WORTHY OF LOVE AND RESPECT. I WANT PARENTS OF NON-SPEAKING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO GIVE THEIR CHILDREN A CHANCE TO FIND THEIR VOICE.

I WANT TO SHARE MY POEMS, MUSIC, AND EXPERIENCES TO SEND A MESSAGE OF HOPE TO OTHERS. REALITY IS BEAUTIFUL WHEN YOU UNLOCK ALL THE TREASURES.