My name is Adria Nassim. Welcome to my bi-monthly blog,
Adria’s Notebook. The aim of my bi-monthly blog is to provide insight in
disability through the lens of my personal experiences.
I am 31 years old and am originally from Floyd County,
Indiana. I now live in Bloomington full time with supplemental supports in the
community and help from my autism/mobility service dog, Lucy, named for The
Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” I became involved in self-advocacy at
a very young age as a result of my experiences with my peers with and without
disabilities. I grew up with cerebral palsy, a learning disability, and an
autism spectrum disorder, and received both regular and special education
services in school. I also received weekly physical therapy sessions from the
time I was 14 months old to help with cerebral palsy.
I finished high school in May of 2005 and then went on to
college at Brescia University, a small, private liberal arts college in
Owensboro, Kentucky. I graduated in May of 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in
English and Spanish.
I knew I wanted to use my life story to help create a better
world for children and young people with disabilities. Throughout the academic
year, I visit classrooms at Indiana University Bloomington, Ivy Tech Community
College, and speak to parents and professionals about my experiences with
disabilities. I am employed at the Indiana Institute on Disability and
Community as a self-advocate part time and also write a bi-weekly column for Bloomington’s
city newspaper, The Herald Times, about autism and disability published every
Tuesday.
I am really excited about
the opportunity to share my experiences with students, parents,
professionals, and those with and without disabilities, in hopes of helping them become better prepared and more
excited about serving the next generation of children, adolescents, and adults
with disabilities.
Thanks for reading!
-Adria
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