Dear Mr. Trump,

I am writing a story that really hits home for me; autism. It story for me began in the 1st grade, when I was bullied everyday by my classmates and teachers because I thought and acted differently. Being called “Son of the Devil” by my principal and being told I was worthless and evil by my teachers. Literally all my classmates were against me, with the exception of about 3-5 of them. The taste of blood in my mouth after another beating I will never forget. By the end of 2nd grade my doctor prescribed that I move to a new school district and get therapy because of what happened to me. This is a story that most of my autistic brethren can relate to, being discriminated against because of a condition that we have no fault in having. We didn’t ask for this to happen to us, and yet it happened. You may think that this is some joke, but it’s not. I will be sharing the rest of my story in the fullest detail I can provide. Maybe you will have learned something by the end of this.

I thought that by moving that my battle was over after moving away, I was wrong. In 3rd grade I learned of my mental disorders and found out that they were a few of the deciding factors for me moving to the district I went to (the district helps special needs students with awesome programs). I learned that my therapy was about my autism, O.C.D, A.D.H.D, asperger’s syndrome, P.T.S.D, and depression. After finding out for the first time, I was pissed. But I came to understand as time went on. It’s no easy task living with this, the sun’s light hurts my eyes, certain smells drive me up the wall, different textures make my skin crawl, I can’t handle different flavors of food, and my hearing is so sensitive that moderate amounts of noise can give me nasty headaches. Plus I have problems in the social world too, I have problems picking up on figures of speech, sarcasm, comedy, emotions, and if a person was serious with what they said. People around me also have issues understanding me. Some question “what’s wrong with me” when I do something weird for the 7th time and counting, they get confused when I start rambling under my breath about whatever just popped into my head, and they grow concerned when I get frustrated due to me messing up slightly on an assignment.

It was worse many years back though, in the earlier stages of society. We used to be cast off as the trash of the modern world, or put in insane asylums that were the equivalent of concentration camps under one roof. Even with how far humanity has come, it’s hard enough being autistic in a society where being rude and offensive is the norm, we don’t need the head of state to make fun of us on live television. Of course I’m referring to you flailing your arms, stuttering, and saying “I don’t remember!” after mentioning mental illness. Stuff like that really makes my blood boil. I have been through some terrible stuff as a child, I fear for what my autistic brethren have been through. We don’t need another tormentor in our lives, but in the highest post in the land. We never chose to have a condition that makes it harder to understand an already complicated world. I know my story may vary from other autistic persons, but we all have our issues and complications trying to survive here. Please open your eyes and see the injustice we’ve been through. If you truly want to “Make America Great Again” then please heed the message of this paper and help my brethren in the Autistic community.

Sincerely,

Killian Kenny