I wanted to share with the SDA campus community a writing project from one of our own students. Since March 2017, Sophomore Ethan Hirschberg has been curating a blog and website he calls “The Journey Through Autism.” A few weeks ago, Ethan reached out to me to let me know about this project and what it means to him.
At age two, Ethan was diagnosed with high-functioning Autism, which he says has both its positives and its negatives. He began writing this blog to share his experiences and give insights into his life and living with autism in general, as well as to share advice “to indivudals on the spectrum, parents, caregivers, educators, and providers.” Ethan also offers answers to questions from individuals who post comments asking about specific topics, which helps those facing very specific situations. According to Ethan, “While people with Autism may share certain feelings or experiences, they can also be different in many ways as well.”
I have spent my time reading through the posts on The Journey Through Autism and I have found it incredible that Ethan has not only taken on this project, which he is most certainly passionate about, but has accomplished his goal. The site already has a strong following with a large number of subscribers and multiple comments from both his followers and those interested in getting advice and learning more about Autism.
This project, inspired by Ethan’s desire to educate, to inform and to raise awareness, has resonated with others with autism as well as their family members. He says, “There has been a lot of work put into this project, and it has been worth it. My goal is to help everyone and anyone that I can. It doesn’t matter if it’s a person with Autism, a parent of a child with Autism, a teacher that has an Autistic child, etc. If I can help just one person, I will feel that I’ve done my job.”
Ethan credits many people for their unending support, but especially highlights his parents and his younger brother: “My family is the most important thing to me. My parents are supportive of everything I do, and they are amazing inspirations to me.”
I wanted to share this with my readers not only because Ethan’s project demonstrates how one can apply their writing skills to outside projects and activities, but also how one can use their writing to tell their story, communicate their passions, and educate others on things that are personally important to them.
Ethan has done just that through his blog, and I urge you to read about his journey. I am personally looking forward to reading more posts in the future and it will be exciting to see how his story and experiences will develop!
You can find the link to Ethan’s website and blog The Journey Through Autism at www.thejourneythroughautism.com. Again, I encourage everyone to read and subscribe.
Read. Write. Grow.