Tucker Conley
Discipline: Self-Advocate Trainee
About:
I am a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst where I received my BA in English. During my time at the University of Massachusetts (UMass), I learned many life lessons. As a person with Autism, communication has never been my best skill. Even though communication is still difficult, UMass transformed me into a better communicator. I’ve always been a bit socially awkward, but my involvement in my local Best Buddies chapter in school improved my social skills a little bit. I’m an introvert and can be shy at times, especially with people that I don’t know. I was never the best test-taker or paper-writer in school. Yet despite not having top marks, I was able to graduate college. This is a feat, which I feel is quite an accomplishment, considering many people with disabilities don’t even get the opportunity to go to school. After school, it took me a little time to re-establish myself and to figure out what the next steps in my life would look like. Living in the dorms at school taught me how to co-exist with roommates and I eventually decided to move from a parent’s house to the AIM Program in Portland, Maine, an apartment complex for people with disabilities to learn more skills on how to be independent on their own. After a couple of years, I moved into two different apartments. I still have help with staff, although I am more independent than I used to be, and can do some things easier, such as cooking basic meals. Eventually, I became a board member of Speaking Up for Us (SUFU), an organization that deals primarily with addressing the current issues that people with disabilities within the state of Maine face. Speaking Up For Us has provided me with many challenges, such as having the confidence to speak at the yearly conference or testify on behalf of SUFU in Augusta. Yet despite these challenges, I persevered and have been serving in the role of Board President for SUFU for the last year, which has made me into the better person that I am today.
