It is not common for people on the autism spectrum to live on their own, but Bharat Subramanian and Viraj Bhat have taken the bold decision to live independently. They talk out about their lives, work and wish for integration. #AutismAwarenessWeek2018
1) Bharat Subramanian
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am 25 years old. I was born in Tanjore District and brought up in Coimbatore. I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 2+. I did my regular schooling and college in Coimbatore. I received all the special help from home and school and my mother did one to one teaching for me.
Where do you work?
I work in a multinational technology company. My office is located in Whitefield in Bangalore. My nature of job is development and testing.
Where do you live?
I am now living with a friend Viraj who is also on the spectrum. I am sharing his apartment which is close to our office in Bangalore. Initially my mother was visiting me every month staying with me for 10 to 15 days. Now it has become occasional.
What according to you are your strengths?
Regarding my strength I am not sure but I may be good at statistics.
What are your challenges?
Anxiety is my challenge at present.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to tour often and take weekend trips to Coimbatore my home town. I like to visit my relatives in home town. During free time I watch videos and sometimes I go for walk. I am also learning Carnatic music on Key Board through Skype classes.
Tell us about your friends and colleagues.
I interact with my friends and colleagues in the office.
How is it living independently?
I have learned a lot by living independently but off late I am missing my family a lot. On other hand I also do not want intstructions/am tired of getting instructions from my family members. ..........Still learning and I hope everybody learns.
What do you feel about creating more awareness for autism?
About autism awareness, wish more and more autism children are recognised and integrated in normal life without any difference, accepting us as we are.
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2) Viraj K Bhat
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am Viraj. I was born in April 20, 1988. I was born and brought up in Mumbai where I did my schooling from Standard 1 to Standard 12 (from 1994 to 2006). I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in or after 2011 in Nityanand Institute, Katraj, Pune.
Where do you live?
I live and work in Bengaluru for a mutinational technology company in Whitefield. I live in my own house with my colleague, Bharat. He works in the same company, same office, but different team.
What does your work require you to do?
I work in development services. I do Alert Monitoring work, and the task of renewing licenses for systems. Also, every Thursday, I do a reporting task.
What according to you are your strengths?
- I communicate precisely and to the point. I have a good typing speed. (More than 33 words per minute.)
- I have the ability to accept all mistakes and blunders as a part of learning process.
- I have, for my own self, the reputation of not repeating mistakes.
What are your challenges?
- I am not good at following oral instructions. But I follow written instructions very well.
- I am somewhat introvert although I can interact pretty well.
- I am not very confident while speaking to a crowd although I may or may not appear confident.
- I am motivationally challenged although I am not lazy.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love listening to music, especially to English and other foreign songs. At office, when I am not working I write down my thoughts on Notepad Application. Also, every Saturday I attend some ISKCON discussion forum. Currently I learn about HTML in some training institute. I have also planned to learn CSS and JavaScript.
Tell us about your friends and colleagues.
Like I said earlier, I live with my colleague, Bharat. We live amicably although we do have our differences. In office, I have good relation with my colleagues. We often greet each other (Good Morning, Good Afternoon, et cetera.)
What did the diagnosis of Asperger’s mean to you?
The diagnosis has made me feel that I am someone special.
It, for some time, gave me some kind of superiority complex, also considering the fact that I also have above-average IQ. It made me do some informal research on Asperger Syndrome. In fact I felt that being an Aspie is something to be proud of, considering my belief that Asperger Syndrome has some connection with high intelligence and with the ability to do any desired task with fierce concentration.
Did it help explain some things?
Yes. It made me realise why I am not so good at interacting with people (which was a fact before I started going on medication).
Also, I got to see the connection of Asperger Syndrome with my ability to focus on any desired topic with fierce concentration.
Lastly, it made me believe that Asperger Syndrome is the reason I was slightly more "mentally mature" than other people of my age.
