Temple was born on August 29, 1947 in Boston, MA. She was diagnosed with autism at a young age.
Back then there were not very many people that were diagnosed with autism and
not much was known about what to do with them. As a result, there were still a lot of
questions for people that were not aware of people with disabilities on how
they should be treated. She was one of a kind and stood out in many ways. Yes, she was very different and did not do
things the way most others did. However,
she found the way that worked for her to overcome these obstacles so she could
find her way to become as successful as she could. She accepted her challenges and was not afraid
to ask for help.
Some of the most important people that gave Temple her best encouragement
were her family and teachers, especially her high school teacher that would become
her biggest fan. He saw something in
Temple and believed she was going to do big things in life. And his prediction came
true as she went on to become one of the few people with a disability to continue
on with their education after high school.
For most people, whether or not they had a disability it was rare
that they went on to college. The fact that she had a disability made her stand
out even more. In 1970 she graduated from Franklin Pierce College/University
with a bachelor’s degree in Human Psychology and a master’s degree in in Animal
Science in 1975 from Arizona State University.
She then went on to receive her Doctorate in Animal Science from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1989. She holds many titles
because she was not afraid failing trying other ways to what was suggested for
her. Today she continues to make fight
for awareness for people with disabilities and has a big interest in animal
rights movement.
To most people all these milestones may not be a big deal but for
people with disabilities it is a big deal.
Temple was able to accomplish these during an era that not many people
where identifying with diagnoses of a disability with the proper supports. There were not any programs that where
developed in schools and the right to hold a job. She overcame these obstacles
at a time when people with disabilities where almost invisible and that shows a
lot of what she stands for.
