Inspirational Quotes
... by famous people with learning disabilities or differences
Autism - Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Animal Science, Colorado State University
When Dr. Temple Grandin was a child, she was labeled autistic (low-functioning) and her parents were told
she should be institutionalized. Some people argue that
no child should be given a label like low-functioning.
Autistics themselves are beginning to speak out against the low functioning
labels they received as children, and the abuse they suffered in institutions.
Abuse of the disabled, or those labeled disabled, is unfortunately an all too common problem.
Temple Grandin was fortunate. You can find out more about her in two of her books -
"Emergence: Labeled Autistic" and "Thinking in Pictures".
In fact, she credits her need to think in pictures
for helping her design stockyards and chutes for major meat-packing firms that have led to
more humane treatment of livestock .
She is now a recognized leader in her field,
having written over 100 technical and scientific papers on livestock handling (Grandin, 1987).
Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
[excerpt from her site:]
Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is inarguably the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world.
Dr. Grandin didn't talk until she was three and a half years old, communicating her frustration instead by screaming,
peeping and humming. In 1950, she was labeled "autistic," and her parents were told she should be institutionalized. She
tells her story of "groping her way from the far side of darkness" in her book
Emergence: Labeled Autistic,
a book which stunned the world because, until its publication, most professionals and parents assumed being diagnosed
"autistic" was virtually a death sentence to achievement or productivity in life.
17 - Jypsy »
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