SD Man With Autism Defies Odds, Graduates Law School

Erik Weber is the epitome of beating the odds.

He was just 2-and-a-half years old when a high fever suddenly left him autistic. He lost all his language skills and wasn’t even expected to live on his own.

On Tuesday, the San Diego man showed that perseverance, hard works and grit pays off, graduating from Cal Western Law School.

“People call me the trailblazer – the icon – but really I’m an ordinary person doing extraordinary things,” Weber said.

When he was a young child, Weber was institutionalized at the Scottish Right Center, but thanks to a good teacher, he learned the beginnings of language and left two years later.

He went on to prove the doctors wrong, joining Special Olympics and becoming a star runner.

His mother, Sandy, in an effort to improve her son’s people skills, had her son start helping out on local political campaigns.

“I wanted into the two council districts and the one who embraced us was (City Councilwoman) Marti Emerald,” his mother said.

Sandy Weber said it taught her son how to understand first impressions, body language and read facial expressions.

And on Tuesday, Weber proved that living by those words can get you pretty far.

At his law school graduation, he was joined by members of Emerald’s office, members of the San Diego Police Department and friends and coaches from Special Olympics.

Weber will now study for the bar exam and then hopes to practice special education law.

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