Next week at 10pm, Katie Price’s show ‘My Crazy Life’, Autism’s Got Talent will be highlighted – when Katie and Harvey visited the show in May. Harvey and Katie presented on stage Daniel Doherty one of Anna Kennedy’s new charity ambassadors for Ireland. He blew everyone away with his wonderful voice and received a standing ovation.Since 2012 Anna Kennedy OBE had a seed of an idea and the legendary show Autism’s Got Talent has received high media attention.
This spectacular event has showcased amazingly talented performances by autistic children and adults from across the UK and overseas. The performers fly the flag for autism and show what people with autism can do, and for many this is a springboard on to other performances and opportunities.
The charities aims are that they are passionate to change the perceptions on autism by raising awareness and acceptance. Anna Kennedy cannot do this alone and that is why her ambassadors are so important and the charity is lucky enough to have such extraordinary role models.’Our ambassadors play a critical role in getting the message out there and we are so proud to have these extraordinary individuals as part of the team,’ says Anna.
My name is Daniel Docherty and I have an autism spectrum disorder. I am 19 years old and I live in the southeast of Ireland. I am the Ireland ambassador for Anna Kennedy Online (AKO), an incredible organisation that strives to improve the lives of those living with autism.
My dream is to become a famous singer and to be an autism awareness advocate. I study psychology in Waterford Institute of Technology and have completed my first year, passing all of my exams. I have a keen interest in story writing and poetry too. I was diagnosed with autism in March 2014 at the age of 14 and it was a moment of relief for me as I always knew deep down I was quite an eccentric individual compared to other people. One of my special interests is music, in particular singing.
I love singing as it has always been a way for me to deal with my anxiety and stress. It is also one of the ways in which I express myself and my favourite genres to do this are opera, classical, musical theatre and swing. I hope to also one day make a real change in the world for the better and promote a society of acceptance and support.
Becoming an Ambassador for Anna Kennedy Online in Ireland means the world to me. I was really surprised when I was asked to join the AKO team and jumped at the chance to be a part of this incredible organisation.
Having autism has meant my journey to where I am now has been no easy ride, but it has taught me a lot about myself and has allowed me to relate to others on the spectrum as we see the world in different ways than neurotypical people.
Being an ambassador now enables me to interact with more people on the spectrum and together this means we can change the world. We can transcend boundaries and unify people in order to create an accepting and supportive society for those with neurodiversities such as autism.
Katie Price and Harvey were so blown away by the show. Harvey performed at the St Ives Theatre at the charity’s roadshow where on one of the following episodes Katie’s shares Harvey’s experience with the public. My Crazy Life can be seen on QuestOD.
Daniel Doherty is an autism ambassador for Anna Kennedy Online. He is passionate about singing.
