In honor of Fishers’ celebration of National Disability Awareness Month, we’re featuring community stories related to disability and inclusion throughout the month on the This is Fishers blog. Learn more about the celebration and how you can be an ally for disability inclusion at fishers.in.us/DisabilityAwareness.
Travis Breeding is a new Fishers resident, originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana and moved to SouthPoint Village Apartments in October of 2021. Travis has been diagnosed with autism and Asperger’s syndrome, however, this has not at all kept him from success.
He has written over 25 books, and of those, his favorite is his biography titled ‘Social Stranger.’ This year alone he has two books he is looking forward releasing, titled, “Social Thinking” and “The Reality of Living Within Two Worlds.” His books explore what it’s like to live with autism and Asperger’s, and to give others the opportunity to learn and better understand what it is like to be differently abled. In addition to writing, he also speaks about Autism Spectrum Disorders and developmental disabilities.
Breeding wanted to move to a bigger city for a long time, and when he heard about Southpointe Village, which is a new apartment complex offering affordable, accessible housing to people with disabilities, he jumped at the opportunity. Breeding believes that places like SouthPointe are necessary to help provide people with disabilities affordable housing within the community.
“Disabilities are all around us. People need to help make the world a better place for them and help accommodate them so they can use their strengths to help the world go round,” he said.
His favorite part about living in Fishers is the people. Breeding has found that people in Fishers tend to go out of their way to make sure that everyone is taken care of and living a happy life. He believes that people in Fishers are friendly, caring, and outgoing.
He also believes that Fishers as a community can support disability awareness by continuing to have events that are accessible and by inviting those with disabilities to the table in leadership positions in committees.
Here is a piece written by Travis Breeding to help you learn more about his journey: https://the-art-of-autism.com/from-fixating-to-living/
Learn more about March Disability Awareness Month, see the full lineup of events, and find out how you can be an ally for disability inclusion and show your support for this initiative with our digital toolkit, Ally kits, and language guide at fishers.in.us/DisabilityAwareness.
FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT: Fox Garden
FAVORITE LOCAL BUSINESS: Insights Consulting
NEIGHBORHOOD: Southpointe Village
FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A SATURDAY: “I like to go for walks on the Nickel Plate Trail and then relax and mingle with people at my apartment complex.”
Melissa Rogers is an Indiana native who has lived in the Indianapolis area for several years. She attended Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, majoring in journalism & public relations and is a previous public relations intern with the City of Fishers. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, going to Indy Fuel and Pacers games, and hiking with her German Shepard, Ari. Her favorite part about Fishers is how many great restaurants and shops there are to choose from.