OK, I'll admit it. I've occasionally watched America's Next Top Model (not regularly, just when I need background noise when working on a craft project). Well this exceedingly shallow show proved to be a launching pad for one young woman, and I'm not talking about launching her modeling career. Heather Kuzmich, one of the contestants, has the neurological disorder known as Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger's is considered a form of autism and can manifest itself in social awkwardness and trouble making eye contact. And now this young woman has found herself as a spokeswoman of sorts for the cause. Audiences have seen the awkward manifestations of the disease in Heather's behavior on the show. And this has given her a platform for raising awareness. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/health/04well.html?ex=1354510800&en=43391992a37eb3ac&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink.
Other public figures have put a face on poorly understood or socially stigmatizing diseases by their disclosure of living with the disease: Betty Ford and breast cancer, Magic Johnson and AIDS. If anything, these public persons open the door to creating dialogue about these diseases. And whether or not they sought the spotlight or were thrust into it, these people may in some ways find it empowering to tell their story. And they might just help others find their voice along the way.
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