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Profiles of Courage
SPENCER BROWNE
Hi there, I am writing to you from Brooklyn, New York. I am twenty six years old, 6' 3" tall... a really cool guy and reasonably good looking (laugh.)
I live in Brooklyn, New York, still at home with my Mom. She is from South America and my Dad is from West Africa... don't ask me how they managed to get together!
I have a job in the shoe department at K-Mart. Occasionally, I work part time helping my sister with her catering business. I enjoy all kinds of music including jazz, R&B, reggae and latin. Some of my favorite artists are Carl Anderson and Art Porter. I love sports and am quite good at bowling, table tennis and shooting hoops. I also love to dance. Playing Nintendo is one of my past times. Actually, I am a genius at Ninendo! People are still trying to figure out how I got so good!
To those who thought it could never be done, hey! I get around my community quite well, thank you: shopping, going to the barber, the Chinese restaurant, the laundromat and the cleaners. I can also cook a lot of my own food.
My best friend is my little sister, Connie. I call her Boo. She and my mom are my biggest advocates, my loudest voices. They listen to me and believe in me. My other sister, Candace, are cool too, I just don't see as much of her because she lives a really busy New York City lifestyle. Candace is a dancer and an actress.
As a man living with autism, I am most times in my own world. I'm okay there but everyone else seems to want me to join theirs. You might be wondering if I write this by myself... no! My Mom and my sister help speak for me, they wrote this out and helped me type it.
The people who see me as a whole man, not as someone with a disability, are my true friends. These friends can see beyond the label and really get to know and understand me from a capacity view. Those who cannot do that for me are really not welcome in my world.
Spencer's mom, Vaulda Kendall Browne, is an inspiring speaker who talks frankly about inclusion, autism, racism, and risk-taking by sharing her journey with Spencer. Vaulda is a dynamic key-note speaker and is also writing a book for other parents. Contact Vaulda Kendall Browne at: 718-385 -4577
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