It’s a life stressful enough to make the most resolute of women give up. Not Colleen Sword. As difficult as her challenges have been, she says, “I would not change any of my experiences because they have made me the strong, determined person I am today.” Diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 5 years old, she suffered 30-plus seizures a day. Today, the 39-year-old resident of Welland, Ontario, Canada, still takes medication to control her epilepsy and has a learning disability as a result of her childhood seizures. But her life’s struggles didn’t end there. Colleen is a single mother of four children under the age of 10. Two have diagnoses of autism, one with seizures and the other, an additional diagnosis of epilepsy. Another child had a history of seizures, but is now seizure-free, and another child is awaiting a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In addition, Coleen is a fulltime student at Brock University in Ontario, where she’s enrolled in the four-year combined honors psychology and behavioral science technology program.

Because of her own personal experiences, Colleen always has had a great desire to learn more about the effective treatment of autism. She plans to graduate from Brock in 2010, and work as a behavioral/special needs consultant or special education teacher with autistic/special needs children. Her plans then include applying to a teacher’s college and eventually for the Applied Disabilities Studies Master’s Program at Brock University. “As a result of my own difficulties as a child, I always felt the absolute conviction that I was put on this planet to work with special needs children,” Colleen says. “I have an understanding of what it is like to feel different from other children, something that can’t be taught out of a book.”

Today, she continues to maintain high averages in her courses, despite her hectic schedule. “At times I find it
difficult to manage school, children, therapy and appointments, but I must continue to fight for my children,”
Colleen says. Because she does not have a supportive former husband, Colleen struggles financially as a single mother, and plans to use her grant monies to support her family and her education. She was especially concerned about the cost of providing many of the important lifelong necessities that two of her children
will require as a result of their autism.

In addition to her award as a Women’s Opportunity Awards federation finalist, she received $1,000 from SI/Stoney Creek/Niagara as the club-level recipient and $5,000 from SIA as the Eastern Canada Region award recipient.

“I have overcome many obstacles in my life, and there were some people who didn’t think I could do very much because of my epilepsy,” she says. “But here I am in university, obtaining 87 percent on psychology exams, determined to prove to all those who only saw my disability, and not my ability, that I CAN do it! I believe that inside all autistic children are real people, waiting to be given the chance to shine. I want to give them that chance!”