April is Autism Acceptance Month, a month devoted to the acceptance of individuals with autism. Being autistic myself, I decided that in the spirit of what this month represents to focus on my strengths as an autistic person.

I’m very creative

Ever since I was young, I’ve loved drawing. In fact, I wanted to be an animator when I was a kid. Over the years, I improved my drawings, but they’re still not professional enough, but still look decent. I also like to write about the things I love in the form of writing movie reviews sometimes. As of this writing, I am currently looking into a new form of creative writing, screenwriting, writing my own original idea about a woman who must overcome her toxic obsession with a fictional character.

I love my special interests and how I know a lot about them

Being autistic, I have several special interests, some of which have stuck with me for years, like Disney and anime. But I also have some hyper-specific interests, like certain movies that catch my attention, with the recent DreamWorks film “Dog Man” and the book franchise it is based on being a recent one. I can become obsessed with the hyper-specific ones for months, but stuff like Disney and anime has been liked by me for a long time. I know a lot about my interests: in fact, I’ve even helped some of my relatives plan for Disney trips with the knowledge I have!

I appreciate things some might find ordinary

One of my favorite hobbies is taking pictures of new or interesting things at stores, and then uploading them onto one of my social media accounts. Sure, it might seem silly, but that’s how I show where I’ve been and have people see the world through my eyes. Another way I do this is appreciating any chance I have to go out, whether it be something really exciting or just an ordinary store. I am also quite a shopaholic due to this!

I was able to graduate from a traditional college program

Some autistic people pursue alternative college programs for people with special needs, which are not like traditional college programs and instead focus on life and job skills. Since I was smart enough to get a Regents diploma, my mom thought it would be great if I could get a traditional college education. And despite a few hiccups, including a change in my major, I did great in college! By the end of my college journey, I graduated with honors in the Journalism program at Saint Joseph’s University. I am so glad to have had an opportunity that few people like me have.

I am able to work at a job

I mentioned a lot about this in one of my first articles for the YAI self-advocacy newsletter:I have a job at the Showcase Cinemas location in Farmingdale, New York. For the past 3 1/2 years, I’ve worked through many big releases, and I have done it with not much stress. In other job-related news, I was able to pass the Civil Service Office Assistant exam, which will eventually give me a much better job than the current one I have.

All these things make up who I am as a person with autism, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself!