Getting up, walking on the street, interacting with people and doing your daily “average” tasks might not seem like a lot to you. For some, doing those simple things is a challenge. This is the case for people with autism.

The National Autistic Society defines autism as “lifelong, developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them.”

Even though people with this disability have difficulties in different aspects of life, they still strive to do their best.

We could enlist famous people from different backgrounds that have successful careers. Actors such as Dan Akroyd or Daryl Hannah, professors such as Mary Temple Grandin, writers or singers but that would be missing totally the point here.

World Autism Awareness Day is so much more.

Understanding and acceptance are its true goals, including support. It’s not about feeling awe or pity for people with this disability. It’s a chance to recognize their needs to be fully developed and included.

With autism or not, they are people just like anybody else in the world and have different needs like you or me.

The only message we have is that you are the only one who is going to make your dreams happen. Whether you have autism or other disability or none, we all need help and feel supported in very different ways.

Understanding this is a paramount for helping others in a different background than ours.

To sum up, an awareness day for autism or anything else is not about recognizing just famous people that have succeeded despite their disability. It’s to recognize that out of our thresholds there are people working hard to achieve their goals in spite of all their difficulties.

So, no matter how big the challenge is for you, just get up, lace up, show up and never give up…

Go to aiesec.org to learn more about understanding diversity.