It’s not everyday you see a major celebrity getting involved to help a community that is quite often underserved. Taylor Swift who has been a viral sensation thanks to her catchy tunes and #1 singles has also been in the spotlight recently for her acts of kindness. I was inspired to write this blog because of all of the amazing stories I’ve seen about her helping others; many of these stories I learned from the inspirational site The Mighty
The stories of her service have been astonishing. Just to name a few…
When Taylor Swift saw a fan as someone more than just a person in a wheelchair
When Taylor Swift met with a teen with down syndrome fighting cancer
When Taylor Swift wants to meet this girl with cerebral palsy
It’s not only these stories but it’s how Taylor had embraced her uniqueness that has us all learning how to accept ourselves for exactly who we are. A great quote Taylor shared with her fans resonates very well with our community when she says…
“If you’re lucky enough to be different, don’t ever change.”
Stories like a teen with cerebral palsy who told her haters to “shake it off” to a little girl with down syndrome who is learning to speak based on her music and also a young man with autism who has a boom box just like Taylor’s show the impact she has been able to have.
As someone who has grown up with autism I’m inspired to be a better advocate by her influence. She has given her voice to our community and it’s something that I respect her for dearly. We all want to be loved for exactly who we are and thanks to people like Taylor we are helping share the stories in our community of those individuals trying to do that. Several of my mentees who are on the autism spectrum have been able to feel more confident in their abilities based on her empowerment of individuality. It also gives them the courage when they are bullied which the majority of individuals with autism are to just “shake it off.”
So if this letter ever gets to Taylor I would just like to tell her “thank you.” We need many more voices like yours who are embracing that ‘different is beautiful’ and you were meant to be exactly who you are.
