You know how our brains do this selective filtering thing with data by ignoring most of what we perceive? Well, depression has the same way of making it so I don’t perceive myself or my contributions. As an autistic child growing up, I learned that society doesn’t like selfish people, they prefer humble people. My rigid thought process internalized that message to the extreme so that I essentially disappeared whenever I looked at something that included me. I didn’t see myself in photos. I didn’t take pride in my accomplishments. I unconsciously erased my own existence because it felt bad to acknowledge it, it felt selfish of me.
In my journey to heal, I’m making an effort to see myself the way everyone else does. I am just one person trying to make a difference, and yes, sometimes those efforts are newsworthy. So here are places where I’ve been celebrated by others, where I’ve been publicly recognized, where I’ve been in the news. And yes, I’m totally sending this page to my therapist.
Rachel Windsor, “Meeting Community Needs Without Red Tape” (Feb. 23, 2026). Mt. Lebanon Magazine.
The Village Vision episode 16, “Tessa Watkins Joins Dr. Crystal Morrison on The Village Vision Podcast” (Dec. 20, 2023). Word of Mom Radio.
“Employee Spotlight: Tessa, Interactive Developer” (Jun. 1, 2023). Flying Cork.
Stephanie Hacke, “Alerting Others to Hidden Disabilities” (May 26, 2023). Mt. Lebanon Magazine.
One Bad Mother, “Episode 495: If I Had a Nickel for Everything I Don’t Know About Autism, I’d Be Rich! with Tessa Watkins, Part 2” (Mar. 22, 2023). Maximum Fun.
One Bad Mother, “Episode 494: If I Had a Nickel for Everything I Don’t Know About Autism, I’d Be Rich! with Tessa Watkins” (Mar. 16, 2023). Maximum Fun.
Karen Schwartz, “Sunflowers are a hidden symbol for travelers with disabilities” (Mar. 9, 2023). The Washington Post.
Abigail Schade Gary, “New Banners Help Autistic Kids Communicate” (Feb. 24, 2023). Mt. Lebanon Magazine.
Abby Kirkland, “Helping kids Point-N-Play their way to inclusive fun at parks” (Jan. 27, 2023). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“Employee Spotlight: Tessa, Interactive Web Developer” (May 9, 2022). Flying Cork.
World IA Day, “Aren’t we all a little bit human? Connecting with Autism featuring Tessa Watkins” (Mar. 5, 2022). World Information Architecture Association.
“World Information Architecture Day: Speaker Tessa Watkins Interview” (Mar. 5, 2022). Tomorrow’s World Today.
Lauren Conley, “Autism Support Group” (Jul. 21, 2021). Integrity Speech Therapy.
“Get to Know Tessa” (Apr. 12, 2019). Flying Cork.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on , and was last reviewed on . Added the latest magazine article that features Tessa.
