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Faith Jegede Cole: What I've learned from my autistic brothers
Faith Jegede: O que aprendín dos meus irmáns autistas
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Faith Jegede conta a conmovedora e divertida historia de criarse cos seus dous irmáns: ambos os dous autistas, ambos os dous extraordinarios. Na súa charla no TED Talent Search, recórdanos que debemos loitar por unha vida que vaia máis alá do que se considera normal.
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. Full bio
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.
Hoxe teño unha única petición.
00:16
Today I have just one request.
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00:19
Please don't tell me I'm normal.
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Por favor, non me digades que son normal.
00:23
Now I'd like to introduce you to my brothers.
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Gustaríame presentarvos os meus irmáns.
00:27
Remi is 22,
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Remi ten 22 anos.
00:29
tall and very handsome.
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É alto e moi guapo.
00:32
He's speechless, but he communicates joy
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Non fala, pero transmite alegría
00:36
in a way that some of the best orators cannot.
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mellor ca algúns
dos máis destacados oradores.
dos máis destacados oradores.
Remi sabe o que é o amor.
00:41
Remi knows what love is.
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Compárteo incondicionalmente
pase o que pase.
pase o que pase.
00:43
He shares it unconditionally and he shares it regardless.
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Non é avaricioso.
Non lle importa a cor da pel.
Non lle importa a cor da pel.
00:48
He's not greedy. He doesn't see skin color.
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00:51
He doesn't care about religious differences, and get this:
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Non lle importan as diferenzas relixiosas
e, fixádevos nisto:
e, fixádevos nisto:
00:54
He has never told a lie.
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nunca dixo unha mentira.
00:58
When he sings songs from our childhood,
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Cando canta cancións da nosa infancia,
intentando pronunciar palabras
das que nin eu podería lembrarme,
das que nin eu podería lembrarme,
01:00
attempting words that not even I could remember,
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01:03
he reminds me of one thing:
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recórdame unha cousa:
01:05
how little we know about the mind, and how wonderful
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o pouco que sabemos sobre a mente
e o marabilloso
e o marabilloso
01:08
the unknown must be.
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que debe ser o descoñecido.
01:11
Samuel is 16. He's tall. He's very handsome.
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Samuel ten 16 anos.
É alto. É moi guapo.
01:17
He has the most impeccable memory.
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Ten unha memoria impecable.
01:21
He has a selective one, though.
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Porén, é unha memoria selectiva.
01:23
He doesn't remember if he stole my chocolate bar,
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Non se lembra
de se me colleu o meu chocolate
de se me colleu o meu chocolate
01:27
but he remembers the year of release for every song on my iPod,
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pero acórdase do ano en que saíu
cada canción do meu iPod,
cada canción do meu iPod,
01:31
conversations we had when he was four,
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conversacións que tivemos
cando el tiña 4 anos,
cando el tiña 4 anos,
01:33
weeing on my arm on the first ever episode of Teletubbies,
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facer pis polo meu brazo durante
o primeiro capítulo dos Teletubbies
o primeiro capítulo dos Teletubbies
01:36
and Lady Gaga's birthday.
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e o día do aniversario de Lady Gaga.
Non vos parece incrible?
01:40
Don't they sound incredible?
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01:43
But most people don't agree.
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A pesar disto, a maioría da xente
non está de acordo.
non está de acordo.
E, de feito, como as súas mentes
non se axustan
non se axustan
01:46
And in fact, because their minds don't fit
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ao concepto de normalidade da sociedade,
01:48
into society's version of normal,
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01:51
they're often bypassed and misunderstood.
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a miúdo son ignorados e incomprendidos.
01:54
But what lifted my heart and strengthened my soul
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Pero o que me animou
e fortaleceu a miña alma
e fortaleceu a miña alma
foi que, mesmo se esta era a situación,
01:58
was that even though this was the case,
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02:00
although they were not seen as ordinary,
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aínda que non os considerasen ordinarios
só podía significar unha cousa:
02:03
this could only mean one thing:
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que eran extraordinarios.
02:05
that they were extraordinary --
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Autistas e extraordinarios.
02:09
autistic and extraordinary.
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Ben, para aqueles menos
familiarizados co termo "autismo",
familiarizados co termo "autismo",
02:13
Now, for you who may be less familiar with the term "autism,"
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02:18
it's a complex brain disorder that affects social communication,
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é un complexo trastorno cerebral
que afecta á comunicación social,
que afecta á comunicación social,
á aprendizaxe e, ás veces,
ás habilidades físicas.
ás habilidades físicas.
02:21
learning and sometimes physical skills.
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02:25
It manifests in each individual differently,
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Maniféstase de maneira diferente
en cada individuo
en cada individuo
02:28
hence why Remi is so different from Sam.
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de aí que Remi sexa tan diferente a Sam.
En todo o mundo, cada 20 minutos,
02:31
And across the world, every 20 minutes, one new person
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diagnostícase un novo caso de autismo,
02:33
is diagnosed with autism, and although it's one of
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e aínda que é
un dos trastornos do desenvolvemento
un dos trastornos do desenvolvemento
02:36
the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the world,
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que máis rápido aumenta no mundo,
non hai causa nin cura coñecidas.
non hai causa nin cura coñecidas.
02:39
there is no known cause or cure.
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02:42
And I cannot remember the first moment I encountered autism,
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Non me acordo
do meu primeiro encontro co autismo,
do meu primeiro encontro co autismo,
02:46
but I cannot recall a day without it.
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pero non recordo vivir un só día sen el.
Tiña só tres anos
cando o meu irmán chegou ao mundo
cando o meu irmán chegou ao mundo
02:49
I was just three years old when my brother came along,
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02:51
and I was so excited that
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e estaba moi emocionada de ter
un novo ser na miña vida.
un novo ser na miña vida.
02:53
I had a new being in my life.
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Cando pasaron uns cantos meses
02:57
And after a few months went by,
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deime conta de que el era diferente.
02:59
I realized that he was different.
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Berraba moito.
03:02
He screamed a lot.
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03:04
He didn't want to play like the other babies did,
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Non quería xogar coma os outros bebés e,
03:07
and in fact, he didn't seem
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de feito, non parecía interesarse por min
nin o máis mínimo.
nin o máis mínimo.
03:09
very interested in me whatsoever.
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03:12
Remi lived and reigned in his own world, with his own rules,
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Remi vivía e reinaba no seu propio mundo,
coas súas propias regras,
03:16
and he found pleasure in the smallest things,
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e encontraba o pracer
nas cousas máis pequenas,
nas cousas máis pequenas,
03:18
like lining up cars around the room
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como poñer os coches en ringleira
ao redor do cuarto,
03:20
and staring at the washing machine
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mirar fixamente a lavadora
03:22
and eating anything that came in between.
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e comer calquera cousa
que houbera polo medio.
que houbera polo medio.
03:26
And as he grew older, he grew more different,
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Conforme medraba,
volvíase máis diferente
volvíase máis diferente
e as diferenzas facíanse máis evidentes.
03:29
and the differences became more obvious.
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03:32
Yet beyond the tantrums and the frustration
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Pero máis alá das rabechas, da frustración
e da hiperactividade inacabable,
03:35
and the never-ending hyperactivity
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había algo realmente único:
03:38
was something really unique:
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unha natureza pura e inocente,
03:41
a pure and innocent nature, a boy who saw the world
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un neno que vía o mundo sen prexuízos,
03:45
without prejudice, a human who had never lied.
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un ser humano que nunca mentira.
03:50
Extraordinary.
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Extraordinario.
Non podo negar que houbo algúns momentos
03:53
Now, I cannot deny that there have been
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03:55
some challenging moments in my family,
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difíciles na miña familia,
momentos nos que desexei que eles
03:58
moments where I've wished that they were just like me.
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fosen exactamente coma min.
04:01
But I cast my mind back to the things that they've taught me
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Pero miro cara a atrás
as cousas que me ensinaron
as cousas que me ensinaron
sobre a individualidade,
a comunicación e o amor,
a comunicación e o amor,
04:04
about individuality and communication and love,
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04:08
and I realize that these are things that
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e doume conta de que son cousas
04:11
I wouldn't want to change with normality.
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que non querería cambiar pola normalidade.
A normalidade pasa por alto
a beleza que nos achegan as diferenzas
a beleza que nos achegan as diferenzas
04:15
Normality overlooks the beauty that differences give us,
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e o feito de ser diferentes non significa
04:21
and the fact that we are different doesn't mean that one of us is wrong.
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que alguén estea equivocado.
04:24
It just means that there's a different kind of right.
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Só significa que hai unha visión diferente
do que é correcto.
do que é correcto.
Se puidese transmitirlle
unha soa cousa a Remi,
unha soa cousa a Remi,
04:28
And if I could communicate just one thing to Remi
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e a Sam,
04:32
and to Sam
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04:34
and to you,
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e a vós,
sería que non tedes que ser normais.
04:36
it would be that you don't have to be normal.
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04:39
You can be extraordinary.
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Podedes ser extraordinarios.
Porque, autistas ou non,
04:43
Because autistic or not,
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04:46
the differences that we have --
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as diferenzas que temos... son un don!
04:48
We've got a gift! Everyone's got a gift inside of us,
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Cada un de nós ten un don no seu interior
04:52
and in all honesty, the pursuit of normality
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e, sinceramente, a busca da normalidade é
04:56
is the ultimate sacrifice of potential.
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o último sacrificio do potencial.
A oportunidade para a grandeza,
o progreso e o cambio
o progreso e o cambio
04:59
The chance for greatness, for progress and for change
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morre no momento
no que tratamos de ser coma os demais.
no que tratamos de ser coma os demais.
05:03
dies the moment we try to be like someone else.
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05:07
Please -- don't tell me I'm normal.
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Por favor, non me digades que son normal.
Grazas. (Aplausos)
05:10
Thank you. (Applause)
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(Aplausos)
05:12
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Faith Jegede Cole - WriterWriter 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.
Faith Jegede Cole | Speaker | TED.com