Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Crew.
Hi Sharon, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My son Rhijan was diagnosed with ASD around 18 months and before the visit to the neurologist, me and his father noticed that he wasn’t meeting his age-appropriate milestones such as walking, talking, eating, and emotional attachment (no affection). So we decided to start the evaluation process and as I expected he was pervasive developmentally delayed PDD.
I went through many emotions dealing with acceptance, embarrassment, guilt, and anger about this diagnosis. I didn’t want anyone to know that my son had a disability being that I thought it was my fault or because I couldn’t fix or cure him.
Life at home was very difficult being that he was my very first and only child at the time, so I continuously researched and reached out to other parents who were or have already experienced things that I was currently going through.
Realizing that I just wasn’t as knowledgeable as I thought I was as a parent, I enrolled back in college to receive my Master’s Degree so that I could not only learn more but also be my son’s advocate and voice to better both sides of this journey.
Within this entire process, I started to work on finding more resources, amusement parks, playgrounds, and all sorts of flaws or lack of awareness in the autism community so I Created My Way to Help And Bring Awareness!
I started my own Organization: Sharing w/ Sharon which is dedicated to Sharing Knowledge, Bringing Clarity & Providing Resources to All Things Autism! Now, I can not only learn more I do more in the Autism Community!!!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been difficult, my biggest obstacle was my self-doubt. I wasn’t confident enough to be open about it or believe that I would get feedback or other individuals who faced the same challenges as me to speak up or allow me to assist them.
I was skeptical about hosting events for the autism community not knowing if my community would come out, if I would have enough supporters, or enough money to cover the expenses of having events. I think that I didn’t know how to promote my events or what to post on social media.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have been in the field of education since the age of 18. I started working for Broward County Public Schools starting as an aftercare counselor to being a classroom assistant/paraprofessional until I became a teacher. I have always wanted to be an educator and love teaching.
I think that I am an educator who makes a difference in the lives of students who have any level of academic disabilities. I have a true passion for helping our young learners reach their educational needs despite any disability.
I am known for working with or taking on the most challenging students who may display some dangerous behaviors. I’m proud to say that I was able to meet milestones in my student’s lives.
How do you think about luck?
I wouldn’t be able to use good or bad luck in any aspect of my life. Each experience or obstacle was an opportunity to learn, grow, plan, and develop better strategies for the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sharing-wsharon.square.site/
- Instagram: @_sharingwsharon_
- Facebook: Sharon Crew
- Linkedin: Sharing with Sharon
