Akelia Keller 

Waynesboro, Georgia (Senate District 23)

Akelia enters the library with an air of confidence, as if she owns the place, or at least works there and thoroughly enjoys it. Thick cornrows braided to the side with a large white bow, hints of pink and blue running through it. Pink is Akelia’s favorite color, which is apparent from the pink shirt and flowered pink and white overlay donned for her outing to the library.

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Akelia is a nineteen year-old female who lives in Waynesboro, Georgia with her mother, Sheila. Akelia has autism; genetic testing has revealed Dup15q syndrome as well. While most people with Dup15q experience moderate to significant intellectual and developmental delays, Akelia does not fall into those groups.

Akelia is an avid reader with interests spanning many genres, from sophomoric titles like Arthur and Peanuts to the young adult Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. All genres are open for reading except horror “because scary books and movies lead to bad dreams,” Akelia says. The library is a sanctuary, a safe haven outside of home for this intelligent and witty nineteen year-old.

Burke County, a rural part of Georgia where Akelia and Sheila reside, is roughly 40 miles outside of Augusta. Sundays usually include a trip into Augusta, where they venture to one of the two big libraries. Akelia and Sheila debate which library is the best, and the one they go to depends on how long their excursion will take. Regardless which library is chosen, if it’s not their local Burke County library, the outing will be a full day affair. Akelia thinks the Augusta-Richmond Library is the best because it has a larger selection, and it carries more Teen Titan titles in book and DVD format.

Akelia walks the isles of the Columbia County Library, out the different authors she enjoys while describing the various series and what she likes about each one. Teen Titans brings about adventure. Amelia Bedelia takes things literally. Loud House depicts a boy living with 10 sisters, all with different personalities. James Patterson delves into two different avenues with the Middle School series, as well as the I Funny collection where the main character is a wheelchair user.

Sheila is an avid reader as well, and has passed her love of reading on to Akelia. Reading didn’t come easy for Akelia, but when she got into it, she never stopped. Akelia was in the foster care system for several years. Sheila and Akelia went through the “foster to adopt” process. When Akelia was seven years old, they became a forever family. Reading is a way to bond and spend quality time with each other. Akelia is an only child and finds companionship with characters in the books she reads. Her top three authors are Rachel Renée Russell (Dork Diaries),James Patterson, and Stephanie Myers (Twilight).

Sheila works full-time as a lead teacher at an inclusive preschool. Living in a rural area has meant services and resources to support Akelia are pretty sparse, practically non-existent. Although Akelia has a COMP waiver, Sheila has had to rely on family for support as there aren’t adequate professional behavioral and mental health services provided in their area. Aunt Marissa, Sheila’s sister, comes a few days a week when she gets off of work to be with Akelia until Sheila makes it home from her job.

When not at school or at the library, Akelia enjoys cooking with support from Aunt Marissa. Akelia has been cooking dinner  to test out her baking skills in the near future. Spending time with family is important and engaging. Cousin Whitney shared her love of crocheting with Akelia a few years ago, and Akelia has been ‘hooked’ ever since. She enjoys using a round loom, allowing her to make hats of all kinds and sizes. Similar to her peers, chores are also a part of Akelia’s weekly routine. To make sweeping, mopping the floor, and washing dishes a bit more entertaining, she likes to listen to XOMG POP, the girl group founded by JoJo Siwa.

Over the summer, the family traveled to the 2023 Dup15q International Family Conference held in Nashville, where other participants were surprised that Akelia could stay in the room by herself without Sheila’s constant supervision. In her younger years, Akelia attended ABA therapy where she bonded with a therapy dog, Jade. While ABA is no longer a part of the routine, occasional visits with the black, white, and brown Australian therapy dog still happen.

Akelia wants to inspire younger girls to follow their dreams. While she’d like to become an author in the future, her immediate plans after graduation are to work with Vocational Rehabilitation and secure a job coach to enhance her job skills in order to gain meaningful employment. She is exploring, experiencing and getting exposure to different jobs and responsibilities within the school.

Sheila is cautiously optimistic about Akelia’s future. “It’s important to know, think about, and remember that not all disabilities are visible,” says Sheila. “Akelia is very capable in ways that many would not expect and at the same time support will always be needed and that has to extend beyond her mom. It’s important for our community to not only work to understand but accept individuals living with disabilities.” Autism and its effects impact the entire family. Sheila expresses how wonderful, helpful, and beneficial it would be to have professionals well-versed with the autism spectrum, especially in rural areas. Access to, and support from, mental health professionals would improve families’ overall health, well-being, and develop positive coping skills to address the challenging parts of living with autism.

Akelia is a bright, book- and unicorn-loving young lady who deserves the right to find her place in our community. The library would be a good fit and meaningful place to work with the proper supports in place. Society is made up of unique individuals.

Akelia’s motto for little girls: “Don’t be a drama queen. Be a dorky, lovable drama queen.”

Writer: Naomi Williams Photographer: Sydney Foster