My philosophy teacher once asked the class to draw a house! said Roger (not his real name). I noticed that some of my classmates rubbed their hands together in delight, he continued. The others didn't seem to know very well how to solve the situation, but they didn't seem worried, he continued. But I had no idea how to design houses for autistic people! he concluded. I know that every time the fan in the bathroom broke it was a big problem for me, he said. And the direction in which the windows were built didn't help me with the light, he adds. And the fact that the other houses were built with the wall against the other house also bothered me because of the noise other people made at night, he says. Or the doors not having a spring that would help me to not always leave the doors open, he says. But I didn't know how to design houses for autistic people, he continues. My problem was not really in the design, he says. I have always been a very capable person in this area, he adds. My difficulty was to think how I would live in a house for myself, he concludes. Yes, how could I do my own thing? he asked himself. Because at that time I didn't know whether I would want to live alone or with someone. I had never thought about it and my philosophy teacher hadn't given me any guidance in that direction either. But even worse was the fact that I had always heard people say that I would never be able to live alone, he says. Just as I had always heard that I wouldn't be able to do a certain number of things, he says. I think people need to believe in things to be able to draw them. That's why I can draw all those fantastic pictures. It's because I believe in them! he concludes.
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