THE ERA 

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” a quote that reminds us of not judging someone. But what if someone judges you because of your disabilities?

That’s one thing that happened to me since childhood days. But going to New Era High School, at first, I was scared. But thanks to my teachers, I was able to cope up with my studies. Unbeknown to them, I have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a condition that affects a person’s behavior. Luckily, they were able to accept my differences.

One day, a stroke of fate came to me when I created an essay in English about an object that reflects my life. Another blessing came to me when I was asked to create a News Article, and it was about Child Abuse and its cases, and children committing crimes, and it passed all Journalism standards.

Since then, I was officially hired as The Era Journalist starting from Grade 8 and beyond. During the course, I attended multiple lessons about journalism and difficult trainings for press conferences, even in online world today.

Being an autistic journalist is not an easy task, and I know that all students can’t study in regular schools. Some students end up studying in SPED schools only. Why? It’s because parents don’t want their children to be judged, they don’t have enough budget for classes, and some factors, including internet because we’re in the online distance learning.

I, despite having my plans to take either GAS or ICT in Senior High School here in New Era because HUMMS is not available in that school, and HUMMS is suitable for me in becoming a future journalist, know that the SPED community is afraid to speak out for their freedom to study in regular schools, but don’t be afraid to speak out. Don’t lose hope. Keep on studying. Let our teachers and our parents, who tirelessly support us, be our inspiration. Reflect that education is our key to success, and always pray for guidance, strength and courage to break down all barriers of life.