What does Independence mean to Luca?
Independence for me means to advocate for myself, to schedule my employees, work and have fun
My Experience with Lectures
In 2024, I was lecturing at TCNJ’s Introduction to Communications class taught by my speech therapist, Lynn Crawford. I was invited by my speech therapist to give this lecture. In 2025, I was invited by my nursing Supervisor, Tammy Baker, to lecture at Pennington Middle School. I talked about communication in both lectures. I talked about communication because I felt that students will learn about different ways to communicate. I felt that the talks helped me feel more independent because I shared my thoughts and feelings about communication to the class.
Who is helping you with your independence?
Jeannette Van Houten has helped me navigate life over the past ten years. She was a great advocate during my time at Princeton Public Schools. She expressed a sense of concern when my family moved to Princeton because the middle school was not accessibility friendly. She taught the school system that they were not doing the right thing. Without Jeannette’s help, I wouldn’t know how to navigate my life and community. She taught me how to utilize Microsoft products and Google products independently. Currently, her role involves trouble shooting and resolving issues with my computer.
tool #1
I use a calendar
Tool #2
Advocate for myself speaking up and I make my own decisions
tool #3
Schedule my own employees
Tool #4
I make agendas and my own schedules. it helps me stay organized.
Tool #5
I like to plan an outing over a Zoom call. This helps me to plan accordingly and notify my parents.
Tool #6
I use a phone connected to my computer to communicate important information. For example, I text my mom to pick us up from the outings