Meet Thomas!

My name is Thomas Hassell and this is my life story! 

For over a decade I have been a volunteer at the Mechanicsburg Museum. I was born in New York City on January 13, 1961.  My parents were Warren and Lucille Hassellboth of whom long since passed away.  I am the third of five siblings.  We moved to Towanda, Pa when I was three or four years old and I graduated first from St AgnesElementary school in 1975 and then graduated Towanda area Senior High School in 1979.  After that I attended College Misericordia (now Misericordia University)  in Dallas, Pa from 1988 During that four and a quarter years I went through the Alternative Learners Program for those with a learning disability which I was first diagnosed with in the 1980’s.  This program helped me earn my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration which I graduated with in 1993 .

Along with my learning disability I have a heart disease called Hypertension which is a non curable disease but it is being managed by my doctor. At age 44 I was diagnosed by a psychologist in Maryland with Asperger Syndrome which is under the autism spectrum disorder by the psychological DSM-5 manual.  I moved to Mechanicsburg in 2007 to be closer to family and I still live in the American House Apartment building today.  Our town museum, which is one of two museum’s that I volunteer for, is right across the street from where I live.  I have been with the museum for 14 years now.  The other museum I had been volunteering for is the National Civil War  Museum in Harrisburg. Currently I am awaiting word on my return of transportation.I had been with this museum for 15 years.  

With my heart disease, I can not work a regular 9 to 5 job so I volunteer.  Currently i am a volunteer board member of 13 years for the Greater Harrisburg autism Society affiliate plus I am a member of an adult autism support group “Spectrum friends” for over 15 years and been its leader for the past 8 years and am hoping to retire sometime in the next two years of leading the adult group to give a much younger person to lead the group into the future.  Currently I am doing side projects such as I am a blogger for the Autism support, Education, Resources, training collaborative’s ASDNEXT website, I am on two adult aging autism research committees and I am on two employment forums, I belong to a disability and autism podcast  called “A Valid Podcast which is done by the Unabridged press out of Pittsburg, Pa., plus I am an advisor to the Self advocates United as one board for just over a year I have several interviews over the years one. I would like to mention, I was interviewed many years ago by a Kerry Magro who is a well known adult autism author, national speaker, and presenter, I met him many years ago at an event he is a friend of mine, I have given several speeches over the years, and panel discussions and I was the co-host of a zoom show called “Critical topics in autism’.

One last thing about myself is that I have two advocacy awards to my name. One in 2017 is the Dennis O’Brien autism Advocacy award and the other advocacy award was in 2021 APHA disability award.  I am a well known autism Self advocate in the state of Pennsylvania  and I know a lot of important people who work in the autism field. Thank you for listening to my story and getting to know me .