My Life Journey with Autism

Karen Willis takes you on a journey into her life with Autism. She shares the struggles and triumphs of her childhood from her difficulties relating to other children to the discovery of her great gift for swimming. Karen explains in her own words what it was like for her to deal with bullying in school when she couldn't explain clearly what was going on, and how she came to have a passion for helping others with disabilities to have a better life. Karen, at the age of 23, is the secretary of her local People First chapter, a regional representative and the secretary of the state Executive Board of People First in her home state of Alabama. She has served as a representative of people with autism spectrum disorders on various panels, task forces and boards, and has recently been appointed by Governor Robert Bentley to serve on the Alabama Interagency Autism Coordinating Council. Karen enjoys competing in swimming with Special Olympics, and has represented her state at the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games in Lincoln, Nebraska. She drives, shops for groceries, visits friends, and looks forward to a happy, fulfilling life.