I have the privilege of working in the offices of our Therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research. Every day I greet one of our clients with autism who works at our school. When I ask, “How are you today?” his energetic answer is always the same as he smiles brightly and walks with determination toward his next stop in the building. Our client always answers cheerfully, “I’m busy!!!!”

As Easter Seals reaches out to secure meaningful employment opportunities for young adults with autism, a priority for Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago as a growing percentage of our students and community members with autism reach adulthood, our client’s answer means a great deal to me. His answer indicates to me that ambition, the drive for independence, the desire for purpose and to succeed in that purpose is a value that surmounts the challenges that autism can present.

People living with autism are valued members of our communities! I look forward to meeting and working alongside our client each day because it causes me to strive even harder toward Easter Seals’ goal of maximizing independence for people with autism and other disabilities.

Linda Heath