A Behind-The-Scenes Look: A Hopeful Leader in the Autism Community

Posted on November 6, 2025

When I wrote my September blog of the same title, it was put on the ASDNext website and also on Facebook. I was told that the blog should have been written in my own words rather than someone else’s. So, here goes the second part of the story, more in my own words. First of all, what my friend Jennifer wrote about that special day for me at Knoebels was pretty accurate in her view. It was a little disappointing not to have my photo ready to display on the wall of famous people with autism. Having my photo on that wall would have meant a great deal to me; it would have represented someone from the Greater Harrisburg area being recognized in high regard by my peers in the autism community. The photo was taken at the end of winter in South Central Pennsylvania, in the town of Mechanicsburg. Someone from Knoebels Amusement Resort came to town, and he took several photos of me in front of the town museum. We spoke for a period of time about autism and how I fit into the work I do for several different autism projects, including being a participant in two different autism research projects, one from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute and the other for the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I also belong to two different employment forums; one is for the Office of Developmental Programs in Harrisburg, PA, and the other is the Philadelphia Employment Forum. I am a 14-year member of the Autism Society Greater Harrisburg Area affiliate. I have been a member of our adult autism support group for over a decade and a half, and a leader of that group for the last eight years. I have been an advisor to a self-advocacy board, Self-Advocates United as One, for a few years. Lastly, I have two advocacy awards to my name, and the photo at Knoebels would be my third high honor.

That day in June of 2025 was supposed to be the best day of my life. I would’ve had my photo presented along with other famous people on the autism spectrum. On my way there, I got a text from that same Knoebels employee telling me that the photo would not be ready to be posted, which kind of deflated my mood. But as a vendor for the park’s Autism day at Knoebels, I had to put on a happy face and have my “A” game on as I normally do at other vendor events. During the summer this year, I was at four or five of these. Another reason I had to put on my “A’ game was the fact that I had several of my friends who were coming to see me have my photo inducted on that wall. With this photo induction, I had to write an acceptance speech, which I was still able to give at a special place in the Knoebels Park. I was proud to give it and lucky to have my friends there to hear. They took photos and a video of me giving my speech, even though I had to point out that, under the circumstances, that photo would not be displayed until next year. They all were still so proud of me, and I got a standing ovation, which has only happened one other time in my life!

What my good friend, Jennifer, wrote in the article about me after the event had concluded was that of a very humbled individual who was getting a very prestigious honor. This little-known self-advocate from South Central PA had the chance to have his photo celebrated amongst other well-known individuals with autism. I would have liked to have been able to stay longer at the park with my wonderful friends who came to see me, but a few of my friends needed to head back early to Harrisburg, so I hitched a ride home with them. What made it even worse was not having family members to greet me to celebrate with me. Reading nice compliments from each person that I volunteer with, the Mechanicsburg Museum, and the national Civil War Museum, in Jennifer’s article, made me feel better about everything.

I always worry if I can still live up to the high standards that I set for myself, which puts a lot of weight on my shoulders to live up to those expectations. I am trying my best to do so, but lately, I feel that my best is not good enough. There are times when I feel like I have lost my magic touch. I am just a couple of months shy of my 65th birthday, and I am still involved with several autism projects, which I am proud to be associated with. Although I often wonder if I should retire from being the leader of our adult group because I am getting older and at least 30 years older than most of our members. I wonder if I am still making a connection with them or if it is time to find someone younger to take the reins of the group. I keep going back and forth about what to do about whether to retire or give it one more year.

Let me get back to the behind-the-scenes of my honor at Knoebels. I can’t help but still think of that honor from time to time. I would have been the first local individual from the Susquehanna Valley of Pennsylvania to have a photo on that wall, which is a great honor and can open new doors for me as an individual with autism. I truly hope that my photo will appear on that wall in June of 2026.

In closing, I would like to leave you with the idea to continue to stay hopeful and believe. With that in mind, here is a lyric from Josh Groban from a song in the Christmas movie, The Polar Express, called “Believe:”

“Trains move quickly to their journey’s end.
Destinations …are where we begin again.
Ships go sailing, far across the sea,
trusting starlight to get where they need to be.
So, just believe.”