ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Faith Jegede Cole - Writer
Writer Faith Jegede Cole draws on her experiences growing up with two autistic brothers in order to spread awareness and understanding about this increasingly common diagnosis.

Why you should listen

Faith Jegede Cole is a British writer, speaker and researcher. She is passionate about the power of storytelling and its ability to shift mindsets. Her TED Talk titled "What I’ve learned from my autistic brothers" has been viewed over a million times and has warmed the hearts of families impacted by autism.

Faith is currently pursuing her PhD in Communication at American University. She has spent the last three years studying identity, reputation and privacy in the world of online communication. Her research specifically explores the tensions between online visibility and online vulnerability that are experienced when seeking to create positive changes in society.

Prior to her PhD, Faith worked within the radio broadcasting industry for seven years. Before moving to America she hosted and produced her own lifestyle show on a national UK station.

Faith is a proud Londoner, but now lives in Washington DC, with her husband Nathaniel Cole and happily calls it home.

More profile about the speaker
Faith Jegede Cole | Speaker | TED.com
TED@London

Faith Jegede Cole: What I've learned from my autistic brothers

Fejt Džegede (Faith Jegede): Šta sam naučila od moje autistične braće

Filmed:
1,325,374 views

Fejt Džegede govori potresnu i čudnu priču o odrastanju sa svoja dva brata, oba autistična -- i oba izuzetna. U ovom govoru sa TED Talent Search-a, ona nas podseća da tragamo za životom koji je izvan prosečnog.
- Writer
Writer Faith Jegede Cole draws on her experiences growing up with two autistic brothers in order to spread awareness and understanding about this increasingly common diagnosis. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:16
TodayDanas I have just one requestzahtev.
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Danas imam samo jednu molbu.
00:19
Please don't tell me I'm normalнормално.
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Molim vas, nemojte mi reći da sam normalna.
00:23
Now I'd like to introduceувести you to my brothersбраћа.
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Sad bih volela da vas upoznam sa svojom braćom.
00:27
RemiRemi is 22,
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Remi ima 22 godine,
00:29
tallвисок and very handsomeзгодан.
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visok je i zgodan.
00:32
He's speechlessbez teksta, but he communicateskomunicira joyрадост
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Ne ume da govori, ali prenosi radost
00:36
in a way that some of the bestнајбоље oratorsgovornika cannotне може.
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na takav način, na koji ni najbolji govornici ne znaju.
00:41
RemiRemi knowsзна what love is.
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Remi zna šta je ljubav.
00:43
He sharesакције it unconditionallybezuslovno and he sharesакције it regardlessбез обзира.
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On je deli bezuslovno i bez obzira.
00:48
He's not greedypohlepni. He doesn't see skinкожа colorбоја.
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Nije pohlepan. On ne prepoznaje boju kože.
00:51
He doesn't careнега about religiousрелигиозно differencesРазлике, and get this:
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On ne mari za razlike u religijama, a vidite ovo:
00:54
He has never told a lieлажи.
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nikad nije lagao.
00:58
When he singsпева songsпесме from our childhoodдетињство,
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Kada peva pesme iz našeg detinjstva,
01:00
attemptingпокушавајући wordsречи that not even I could rememberзапамтити,
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pokušavajući sa rečima kojih se ni ja ne sećam,
01:03
he remindsподсећа me of one thing:
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podseća me na jednu stvar:
01:05
how little we know about the mindум, and how wonderfulДивно
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kako malo znamo o svesti i mora da je divno
01:08
the unknownnepoznat mustмора be.
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ono što je nepoznato.
01:11
SamuelSamuel is 16. He's tallвисок. He's very handsomeзгодан.
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Semjuel ima 16 godina. Visok je. Zgodan je.
01:17
He has the mostнајвише impeccablebesprekoran memoryмеморија.
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Poseduje besprekornu memoriju.
01:21
He has a selectiveselektivno one, thoughипак.
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I to selektivnu.
01:23
He doesn't rememberзапамтити if he stoleје украо my chocolateчоколада barбар,
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Ne seća se da je ukrao moju čokoladu,
01:27
but he rememberspamti the yearгодине of releaseиздање for everyсваки songпесма on my iPodiPod,
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ali se seća kada je izdata svaka pesma
koja je na mom iPodu,
01:31
conversationsразговоре we had when he was fourчетири,
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seća se razgovora koje smo vodili sa 4 godine,
01:33
weeingweeing on my armрука on the first ever episodeepizoda of TeletubbiesTeletabisi,
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on malecni u mojoj ruci,
gledajući prvu epizodu Teletabisa
01:36
and LadyDama Gaga'sGaga je birthdayрођендан.
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i rođendan Lejdi Gage.
01:40
Don't they soundзвук incredibleневероватан?
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Zar nisu neverovatni?
01:43
But mostнајвише people don't agreeдоговорити се.
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Većina ljudi ne misli tako.
01:46
And in factчињеница, because theirњихова mindsумови don't fitфит
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U stvari, zato što se njihova svest ne uklapa
01:48
into society'sdruštva versionверзија of normalнормално,
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u društveno prihvatljiv oblik normalnog,
01:51
they're oftenчесто bypassedsija and misunderstoodRazumeo.
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njih često zaobilaze i ne shvataju.
01:54
But what liftedподигнут my heartсрце and strengthenedojačane my soulдушу
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Ono što mi je uzdiglo srce i ojačalo dušu
01:58
was that even thoughипак this was the caseслучај,
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bez obzira na činjenice,
02:00
althoughиако they were not seenвиђено as ordinaryобичан,
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mada nisu izgledali obično,
02:03
this could only mean one thing:
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ovo je moglo značiti samo jednu stvar:
02:05
that they were extraordinaryизузетно --
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da su oni izuzetni --
02:09
autisticаутизам and extraordinaryизузетно.
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autistični i izuzetni.
02:13
Now, for you who mayможе be lessмање familiarпознат with the termтермина "autismаутизам,"
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Za one kojima je termin "autizam" manje poznat,
02:18
it's a complexкомплекс brainмозак disorderпоремећај that affectsутиче на socialсоцијално communicationкомуникација,
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to je složeni poremećaj mozga, koji utiče na sporazumevanje,
02:21
learningучење and sometimesпонекад physicalфизички skillsвештине.
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učenje i ponekad na fizičke veštine.
02:25
It manifestsmanifestuje in eachсваки individualпојединац differentlyдругачије,
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Kod svake osobe se drugačije manifestuje,
02:28
henceстога why RemiRemi is so differentразличит from SamSem..
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zato je Remi toliko različit od Sema.
02:31
And acrossпреко the worldсвет, everyсваки 20 minutesминута, one newново personособа
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U celom svetu, svakih 20 minuta se dijagnostikuje
02:33
is diagnoseddijagnoza with autismаутизам, and althoughиако it's one of
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jedan slučaj autizma i mada je to
02:36
the fastest-growingнајбрже растуће developmentalrazvojni disordersпоремећаји in the worldсвет,
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jedan od poremećaja u razvoju koji se najbrže razvija,
02:39
there is no knownпознат causeузрок or cureлек.
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uzrok i lek su nepoznati.
02:42
And I cannotне може rememberзапамтити the first momentтренутак I encounteredнаишли су autismаутизам,
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Ne sećam se prvog momenta
kada sam se susrela sa autizmom,
02:46
but I cannotне може recallповрат a day withoutбез it.
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ali ne sećam se ni jednog dana bez njega.
02:49
I was just threeтри yearsгодине oldстари when my brotherбрате cameДошао alongзаједно,
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Imala sam samo tri godine kad mi se rodio brat
02:51
and I was so excitedузбуђени that
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i bila sam veoma uzbuđena
02:53
I had a newново beingбиће in my life.
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što imam jedno novo biće u mom životu.
02:57
And after a fewнеколико monthsмесеци wentотишао by,
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Posle nekoliko meseci
02:59
I realizedреализован that he was differentразличит.
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shvatila sam da je drugačiji.
03:02
He screamedвришти a lot.
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Mnogo je vrištao.
03:04
He didn't want to playигра like the other babiesбебе did,
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Nije hteo da se igra kao druge bebe,
03:07
and in factчињеница, he didn't seemИзгледа
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u stvari, činilo se
03:09
very interestedзаинтересован in me whatsoeverшта год.
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da nije zainteresovan ni za šta.
03:12
RemiRemi livedживели and reignedje vladao in his ownвластити worldсвет, with his ownвластити rulesправила,
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Remi je živeo i vladao u svom svetu, po svojim pravilima
03:16
and he foundнашао pleasureзадовољство in the smallestnajmanji things,
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i nalazio je zadovoljstvo i u najmanjim stvarima,
03:18
like liningоблога up carsаутомобили around the roomсоба
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kao što je ređanje autića po sobi
03:20
and staringзурење at the washingпрање machineмашина
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i zurenje u veš mašinu
03:22
and eatingјести anything that cameДошао in betweenизмеђу.
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i u jelu između.
03:26
And as he grewрастао olderстарији, he grewрастао more differentразличит,
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Kako je odrastao, sve se više razlikovao
03:29
and the differencesРазлике becameпостао more obviousочигледан.
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i razlike su postale sve očiglednije.
03:32
YetJoš beyondизван the tantrumsbesa and the frustrationфрустрација
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Izvan nastupa besa i frustracije
03:35
and the never-endingbez kraja hyperactivityhiperaktivnost
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i beskrajne hiperaktivnosti
03:38
was something really uniqueјединствен:
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on je bio zaista jedinstven:
03:41
a pureчист and innocentневин natureприрода, a boyдечко who saw the worldсвет
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čiste i nevine naravi, dečak koji je video svet
03:45
withoutбез prejudicepredrasude, a humanљудско who had never liedЛагала.
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bez predrasuda, ljudsko biće koje nikad nije lagalo.
03:50
ExtraordinaryIzvanredno.
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Izuzetan.
03:53
Now, I cannotне може denyнегирати that there have been
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Ne mogu da poreknem da je bilo
03:55
some challengingизазован momentsмоменте in my familyпородица,
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teških momenata u mojoj porodici,
03:58
momentsмоменте where I've wishedželeo that they were just like me.
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momenata kada sam poželela da su i oni kao ja.
04:01
But I castцаст my mindум back to the things that they'veони су taughtнаучио me
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Vratila sam misli na stvari kojima su me učili
04:04
about individualityindividualnost and communicationкомуникација and love,
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o individualnosti, komunikaciji i ljubavi
04:08
and I realizeсхватите that these are things that
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i shvatila sam da su ovo stvari
04:11
I wouldn'tне би want to changeпромена with normalitynormalnost.
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koje ne bih zamenila sa normalnošću.
04:15
NormalityNormalnost overlooksгледа the beautyлепота that differencesРазлике give us,
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Normalnost previđa lepotu koju nam pružaju razlike
04:21
and the factчињеница that we are differentразличит doesn't mean that one of us is wrongпогрешно.
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i činjenica da smo različiti ne znači
da jedan od nas nije u pravu.
04:24
It just meansзначи that there's a differentразличит kindкинд of right.
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Ovo samo znači da smo na različite načine u pravu.
04:28
And if I could communicateкомуницирајте just one thing to RemiRemi
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Kada bih mogla da saopštim samo jednu stvar Remiju
04:32
and to SamSem.
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i Semu
04:34
and to you,
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i vama
04:36
it would be that you don't have to be normalнормално.
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to je da ne morate biti prosečni.
04:39
You can be extraordinaryизузетно.
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Možete biti izuzetni.
04:43
Because autisticаутизам or not,
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Jer autistični ili ne,
04:46
the differencesРазлике that we have --
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razlike koje imamo --
04:48
We'veMoramo got a giftпоклон! Everyone'sSvi su got a giftпоклон insideу of us,
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Imamo dar! Svako ima unutar sebe dara
04:52
and in all honestyiskrenost, the pursuitгоњење of normalitynormalnost
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i iskreno, težnja za normalnošću
04:56
is the ultimateкрајњи sacrificeжртвовање of potentialпотенцијал.
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je krajnje žrtvovanje potencijala.
04:59
The chanceшанса for greatnessvelicinu, for progressнапредак and for changeпромена
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Šansa za veličanstvenost, napredak i promene
05:03
diesумире the momentтренутак we try to be like someoneнеко elseдруго.
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umire onog trenutka kada pokušavamo
da ličimo na nekog drugog.
05:07
Please -- don't tell me I'm normalнормално.
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Molim vas, nemojte mi reći da sam prosečna.
05:10
Thank you. (ApplauseAplauz)
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Hvala. (Aplauz)
05:12
(ApplauseAplauz)
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(Aplauz)
Translated by Tereza Ivanovic
Reviewed by Tatjana Jevdjic

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Faith Jegede Cole - Writer
Writer Faith Jegede Cole draws on her experiences growing up with two autistic brothers in order to spread awareness and understanding about this increasingly common diagnosis.

Why you should listen

Faith Jegede Cole is a British writer, speaker and researcher. She is passionate about the power of storytelling and its ability to shift mindsets. Her TED Talk titled "What I’ve learned from my autistic brothers" has been viewed over a million times and has warmed the hearts of families impacted by autism.

Faith is currently pursuing her PhD in Communication at American University. She has spent the last three years studying identity, reputation and privacy in the world of online communication. Her research specifically explores the tensions between online visibility and online vulnerability that are experienced when seeking to create positive changes in society.

Prior to her PhD, Faith worked within the radio broadcasting industry for seven years. Before moving to America she hosted and produced her own lifestyle show on a national UK station.

Faith is a proud Londoner, but now lives in Washington DC, with her husband Nathaniel Cole and happily calls it home.

More profile about the speaker
Faith Jegede Cole | Speaker | TED.com