Temple Grandin

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.