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FINALLY

By Brett Schaffran

At 34 I spoke my first word. I am a speller, and my name is Brett Schaffran. All my life there was the desire to speak: but my mouth doesn’t listen to my brain. For a long time I believed I might one day be able to, but when I realized that would never happen, I despaired. Almost all of us are seen by the world as incapable. But given the right supports, we are very capable indeed.

My life has changed so much in the past year. Feelings of joy are now the norm for me, rather than the exception. My dream of talking has come true…and I want to finally be heard.

10/21/2024 2 Comments

Becoming a Winner

So another shitty season for the Jets. It was a debacle last night. For all my life the Jets have mostly sucked. That game last night hurt my soul. You really have to be tough to stay a Jets fan.

Certainly there are parallels to my life to be found here. Before I could spell, I was the Jets: I sucked at everything. And no matter how hard I tried, nothing got better. The thing is, my front office (my parents) was intelligent, unlike that of the Jets. They recognized that the issue was the coaching. So they hired the best coach, Judy, and I became the Kansas City Chiefs.

Yup. Now I am a contender.

2 Comments

10/7/2024 1 Comment

Get a Clue

Today I tried to make my friend with the other kind of autism understand that I am talking with my hand. It took awhile, but I think he is finally getting it. I believe he thinks I am totally like him, only talking differently. He has little grasp on other people and how they think. Getting to the point, it struck me yet again how completely different are our disabilities. It’s like saying that people who are blind are the same as people who are deaf. It’s utter nonsense.

It’s no wonder no progress has been made in coming up with a cure. It’s like trying to cure cancer when you have heart disease. I am longing for a cure, but have little hope, since scientists and doctors haven’t even figured out that it’s multiple disabilities. I hope they get a clue soon, since they are spinning their wheels.