By Payton Gao
John Elder Robinson is a famous author and entrepreneur who lived his life without being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome until the age of 40. His NY Times bestselling book called Look Me in the Eye describes his life growing up with no diagnosis of autism, but being aware that he was different.
Following his first book he wrote Be Different, Raising Cubby, and Switched On, with these books all talking about life with autism for himself and others. Following Look Me in the Eye he began to become more active in raising awareness for the autism community. He has been serving as a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since 2012, helping improve information regarding autism for both the government and the public. John never let his autism be something that prevented him from achieving his goals stating that “disabilities are problems, but that doesn't mean that autism is a problem”.
Besides his success as an author and extensive advocation on autism awareness, he is also a successful entrepreneur. He founded the J E Robison Service Co. Inc, a car company based in Springfield Massachusetts, in1987 to provide repair and restoration services for high-end car brands such as Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, and Rolls-Royce cars. The services include oil changes, engine overhauls, and under-car service with pickup and delivery throughout the New England Area. “I grew up thinking that I was kind of a second-rate person, and it gave me a poor self-image all through my life. But I also grew up thinking that, well, if I just, you know, try harder I’m going to get by. And then there was absolutely no thought of any kind of support for me, so it’s either figure out how to live independently or starve.” - on an Interview with Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Member John Elder Robison.
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