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Join us at our October general session as we launch our spotlight series! We will dive into the experiences and perspectives of people in our Autism community! First up is James and Ali!
James: My name is James Orman, I'm 36 years old, and I live with my husband and two dogs in northeast Baltimore. I'm a Project Coordinator at Kennedy Krieger, and I've previously been employed as a paralegal. Although I've known all my life that I was different, I was only diagnosed with Autism early this year. Obtaining my diagnosis has been life changing. In addition to being better able to understand myself, I now have a new framework for explaining it. It has caused me to find community, stop masking, and relieve the anxiety caused from internalizing perceived deficiencies. I've since joined the board of The Autism Society of Baltimore-Chesapeake and am looking forward to being an advocate to and establishing valuable programming for Autistic adults in our community.
Ali: My name is Ali Orman, I'm 43 years old, and I live with my husband and two dogs in northeast Baltimore. I'm a System Administrator at New Story Schools, managing IT related projects. I came to America from Turkey in 2005 for school, and I became a US citizen in 2017. Although I am Allistic, I am neurodivergent, having been self-diagnosed with ADD. Understanding and contextualizing my neurodivergence has been both challenging and rewarding. It has been helpful to understand why my mind wanders and how I best absorb information. Obtaining this diagnosis has also provided me the opportunity to utilize prescribed medication to allow me to focus and control my impulsive habits. I'm excited to see myself growing in these new and fruitful directions and look forward to what comes next for myself.
Both: We met in February 2008 when James was attending university in Bloomington, IN and Ali was attending university in Indianapolis. We've been together ever since. We got married in Annapolis in January 2013, the first month it was legal in Maryland, though we were married in spirit for years prior. We moved to Maryland in July of that year, and we bought our first house together in 2014.
We found a kind, caring, and supportive partner in each other and noticed how each others' strengths complimented our respective weaknesses. Our similar viewpoints and ways of looking at the world combined with our neurodivergence, allowed us both to feel like we'd found the one person who understood us in a world that we both found frustrating and confusing at times. Our different communication styles and thought processes have been a challenge however, and only through patience and understanding have we discovered ways of reframing our thoughts and empathizing with one another to understand where we're coming from.
We look forward to explaining more of our joint and individual journeys with everyone! Come and join the conversation!
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