Conner: When did you know or found your
passion? Who helped you with it?
Temple: I visited my aunt’s ranch and was
exposed to both beef cattle and the West.
Conner: Change can be difficult for anyone
and everyone. What did, or do, you do to
help you get there?
Temple: Gradually change to new things.
Conner: You mentioned (in a different interview) you do not like some clothes that
are scratchy. What do you do to fix this?
Temple: I buy clothes that are soft or wear
soft shirts under scratchy clothes.
Conner: Who or what is your safe zone?
Temple: In my twenties I watched Star Trek
in the late afternoon for one hour.
Conner: Many people stim or jump when
they are overly happy. Do you have something you do?
Temple admiring Conner’s
published photography at the
Autism Society’s National
Convention.
Temple: I sit and read.
Conner: When you started advocating,
were you nervous for words to come at
first?
Temple: If you keep doing it, it will get
easier and easier.
Conner: You are on the road traveling a
great deal and meeting people. Do you
always like to pose for pictures and shake
hands? How do you deal with it?
Temple: You need to practice greeting
people. When I was your age, I served as a
hostess at my mother’s parties.
Conner Cummings is a professional
photographer in the Metro DC area
as well as a special needs advocate
and a changer of laws. He writes
on his Facebook page, Conquer
for Conner. He and his mother are
working diligently to have Conner’s
Law passed, which would replace a poorly written
child support law in VA that provides a loop hole
for adults with special needs and other disabilities
over the age of 18. They hope to take Conner’s Law
to a national level, similar to what happened with
the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA). To learn
more about Conner’s Law and how you can help,
visit their change.org page.
Zoom Autism Through Many Lenses
31