Not the Same

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.

4/28/2025 0 Comments

Not the Same

Today I spent some of my session having Judy read some of the letters people here have written to RFK. They were amazing, and heart-breaking. The thing I keep coming back to in my own mind is that our disability is the opposite of the actual autism. They don’t understand other people. They are restricted in their interests. We are not only NOT restricted in our interests - we are interested in almost everything. And the main thing about us is that we completely understand other people.

We nonspeakers have a motor disorder and OCD so severe that we have little control over ourselves. We are not the same diagnosis, even though we are called the same. I sincerely hope that science catches on to that soon.