Hello everyone and welcome to the Celebrate Autism Story Page, Stories and Insights hosted by Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago. My name is Colleen Shinn and I am the Training Specialist and Manager of the Autism Program Service Centers for Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago.

There were many reasons why I decided to create this story page to commemorate Autism Awareness month. First of all, I work for an amazing organization that I’ve had the honor to be associated with for more than 13 years and I felt it necessary to highlight the incredible people who surround me on a daily basis. I consistently see resilient families, who despite their possible struggles and challenges find beauty and strength through their children. I see staff members who are committed to the success of our clients and come to work every day knowing they will make a difference in someone’s life. I see community members yearning to learn and who strive to embrace and accept differences, which is imperative, because understanding is the key to building strong and supportive relationships. Most importantly I see children and adults who are living with Autism Spectrum Disorders who provide me with the daily reminder of why I have chosen my career path, a true passion that began 26 years ago.

I was 14 years old and began to work (ironically enough) at an Easter Seals Summer Day Camp Program, “Camp Free To Be,” in Peoria, Illinois. There were children there with various disabilities, but two little boys who had “Autism,” a word I was not familiar with. I immediately went home and presented my Mother with a myriad of questions. She found a pediatric encyclopedia that had one page dedicated to Autism with two descriptions; “Autistic Child” and “Asperger’s Syndrome.” We didn’t know very much back then and the prevalence rate read “1/10,000.” My Mother’s story and recollection of this event is included in this Story Page. (It’s worth reading and brought back many memories.)

So much has been discovered since 1984 about this intriguing disorder and it has opened up an endless world of possibility for me both personally and professionally. I have spent the better part of my life dedicated to learning about Autism Spectrum Disorders and creating ways for others to understand them as well. I love my job, the people I work with, the families who inspire me and the children and adults with ASD who have been my greatest and most appreciated teachers.

I celebrate Autism because I’ve had the unique opportunity to work closely with so many phenomenal individuals who have opened my eyes to many things and have contributed to making me a better person. Through them I’ve experienced triumph, challenges, intrigue, sorrow, wonderment, strength, differences, acceptance, joy, stereotypes, humbleness and humanity. Whether you are a parent, caretaker, sibling, cousin, nephew, niece, aunt, uncle, neighbor, friend, therapist, volunteer, teacher, paraprofessional, clinician, community member or person living with Autism, I know this: I celebrate you. Because of everything you’ve contributed to my life, which I consider brilliant. Let us remember to support one another, to continue learning and encourage others to do so, to empower individuals living with Autism and to celebrate Autism every day. Thank you.

Colleen Shinn