Hello to all of you!
I am brand new to AidPage, but I will try my best to express my needs: here we go!
My name is Reynaldo and I have Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. I created a nonprofit organization, www.aspergeradvocacy.org, to advocate for those with my disorder, especially adults for whom at the time they were children no help or information was available about this disorder. In addition to having Asperger's syndrome I have spinal stenosis, thus, limited mobility, whereby I use a power chair. I live alone with my dog Ginger.
Recently, after many years of fighting for my Social Security benefits, I have finally received them. The first objective that I met was to get permanent housing. Now I live in an apartment under a section 8 housing choice voucher. After living in Florida for over 35 years, specifically Palm Beach County, I am now living in Kershaw County, South Carolina. I moved here because this is where they issued a voucher for me much quicker than any other housing authority to which I applied for a voucher. This was a move I do not regret!
Instead of going on a waiting list in Florida, which would have taken many years for my name to come up, I was issued a voucher instantly in South Carolina. Of course I had to move over here in order to use that voucher, somethign I didn't mind. My plans are to stay in South Carolina, or anywhere where it is not too warm and not too cold.
Because of my disorder, characterized by behaviors often misunderstood and the result of adverse stimuli, I had been the target of bullying by several of my neighbors here, who themselves have disabilities ranging from bipolar disorder to mental deterioration because of age.
I did not know what to expect when I initially moved here to South Carolina. While it is considered the sixth most dangerous states in the United States (FBI, 2006), most of the longtime residents here have raised families for many generations, and in essence are quite comfortable. About 70% of the population here are chubby and very content with their Southern cooking and hospitality. I have gotten to know many people here and am glad that I made the move as though I didn't really have any other choice.
The area in which I live is rural. There's only one bus that comes through here, and it only comes twice a week, very early in the morning, and once in the evening during those days. Because of my disability and situation, I have to depend upon a paratransit vehicle, which can be expensive as they charge more money based on the fact that I'm a wheelchair user. I had been volunteering in a social service agency that provides energy and rental assistance to those in need. But because of lack of transportation and more medical issues (now I'm diabetic as of December, 2007), I had to quit my volunteer position.
I believe that by having a decent vehicle I can be able to reach out to people farther to be able to assist them in their special-needs. I therefore am wishing for a vehicle: either a minivan or a large vehicle with a power chair/scooter ramp to accomplish this.
