I am a typical teenage boy who lives in a small coastal Australian city called Warrnambool, or at least that is what people thought before April this year.
When I was 9 years old I was diagnosed with autism which changed how people perceived me. I was no longer just Bryce, now I had a new label that defined the person I was. In Primary school, I was separated from my peers and was put into a special education class that didn’t give me the education I needed and wanted. By the end of Primary school, I feared being different from everyone else as my diagnoses defined everything about me and took away my right to define my own future based on my abilities.
When I reached Secondary school, I decided to hide my autism diagnoses from everyone including the school staff as I wanted to be treated as an equal. I hid for 4 years until the 10th of April this year when I decided it was time to tell everyone. Since April I have started to be an advocate for autism students as I believe everyone should have the right to the same quality of education. I have even started up my own Facebook page utilising the articles I write regarding autism acceptance. I advocate for future generations so that they can gain a quality of education equal to their peers and so they can live in a more accepting world.
you can find my articles at: www.facebook.com/bryce.pace.autism.advocate
Warrnambool, Australia