>> My name is Tasha Regan and I'm currently a full time student at Western Carolina University, pursuing my doctorate degree in physical therapy.

♪ >> I have 2 brothers, both of which have autism.

I say my relationship with my brothers has impacted and shaped who I am as a person, because I'm their caretaker, their protector, their driver, pretty much any hat they want or need me to put on.

I do so to ensure that they have the best life possible.

♪ >> I stand for disability rights, specifically advocating for and spreading awareness for autism, so that the local and global community can learn and understand what autism is, and also how to interact with and accomodate for individuals on the spectrum.

Additionally I fight to give individuals of autism a voice so that they can be heard even when they're not able to speak for themselves.

♪ Growing up with my 2 brothers inspired me really to become involved within the autism community, so I volunteered and worked a lot in the autism field, whether volunteering for autism based clubs in school, or working one on one with individuals with autism.

so if I can tell people what it's like to have a family member with autism, I would say it's a challenge to say the least, but I wouldn't have it any other way, mainly because even though both my brothers have autism, and it can be really hard to accommodate them at the same time, they're still both my brothers.

They're still both people that I love and root for every single day.

Growing up, my brothers had very much become a part of my routine.

They were who I saw 24-7, every day.

When I realized being independent in college was that I became, or am very attached to my family and attached to my brothers, and I had this overarching feeling that I need to always be there for my brothers.

♪ >> For any of those who are listening, you should always strive to grow and look to connect with others.

It not only betters yourself, but also it can make someone else's day.

From experience, for any individual that's had a positive reaction with my brothers, or positive interactions with them.

I can ddefinitely tell you it's made our day, and we can definitely recount all the times my brothers have had positive reactions where it definitely shows the genuine kind side of community, and that's definitely something that I encourage anyone to do, is just to be open minded and to always like to connect to others, and not judge a book by its cover.

[soft piano music] >> PBS American portrait is, >> a platform where >> people can go to in order to share their experiences.

>> I took a risk when >> when I was 18 and joined the Marine Corps >> and it's been an amazing journey ever since.

>> this project can help bring us together >> to understand what it really means to be an American.

>> So join in, >> go to PBS >> .org >> slash American portrait.

>> Join us and be a part of American History.