As 45-year old black man with autism, Curtis serves as a self advocate and champion for advancing issues related to the Disability Community. At the age of 4, Curtis was diagnosed with autism and was the first student with autism to enroll in the Chicago Public Schools system in January of 1984 when they created the autistic program for Curtis and other students. After graduating from Chicago Public Schools system in 1996, I attended college for a span of 10 years. I currently serves on the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, is a member of Access Living's Racial Justice Advanced Your Leadership Power (AYLP) and other advocacy organizations at Access Living that focus on Housing and Home Services Attendant. Curtis is a Board Member of the Chicagoland Autism Connection (CAC) and Vice President of a self advocacy organization called CAC Trailblazers. I'm a member of the Illinois Single Payer Coalition (ISPC) Disability Working Group Long Term Care and Northside Action For Justice (NA4j) in which I serve on two committees of Human Services and Education on a Disability Perspective. I'm a 2020 graduate of the Illinois Partners in Policymaking Training and 2019 Illinois Self Advocacy Alliance Ambassoner Graduate.