“The role of the mediator is to relieve the burden from autistic people”

Who are you?

I am Ricardo Nunes, a Portuguese 28-year-old man on the autism spectrum.

Tell us about your experience and needs relating to the need of a mediator

When it comes to my experience, I always felt that people were not patient to understand my concerns due to my difficulty in explaining things. Many people have told me that I am too defensive, even when they were the ones that were contradicting my thoughts and words. Fortunately, I have friends that listen to me and try to understand what I am saying.

Why are you interested in the YMI project?

I am interested in this project because I want to make a difference. I want to give other people with autism the help they need. I want to help other people to understand that autism is not a complication, but it is just a matter of understanding people just as you do with anyone else. After all, everyone thinks differently.

Why do you think that it is necessary to create the role of a young mediator for autism? What would be the project’s most valuable information/tool/result for you?

I think it is necessary because they might need help, but they do not have the courage to ask for it, for example if they want to do something by themselves just as anyone else would. The role of the mediator is to relieve that burden from them, guiding them on the ways of self-presentation and making them less afraid of making mistakes.