EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is part of LongwoodLancers.com's "More Than A Game" series, which highlights the passions, backgrounds and development through athletics of Longwood's student-athletes. For more stories, visit the More Than A Game homepage.

By CHRIS COOK
LongwoodLancers.com
 
Every time women's soccer player Jessica O'Bryant winds up to clear the ball from Longwood's backfield, a small black and blue smattering of ink creeps out of her shirt sleeve. The tattoo, hidden on the inside of her left bicep, is a cursive print of the word "Austin" next to a blue puzzle piece.
 
That the tattoo is visible for only a brief second is emblematic of O'Bryant's own quiet inspiration, a secret drive that is leading the Lancer defensive standout down a career path that could positively impact the lives of thousands. The puzzle piece permanently etched on her arm is a national symbol for autism awareness and support. The name belongs to her younger brother, Austin, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was two years old.
 
O'Bryant got the artwork on her 18th birthday as a nod to one of the biggest influences in her life. She was just four years old when her parents, Gary and Mary Sue, had Austin, but has devoted her entire life to helping Austin fit into a world that does not readily adapt to his needs.
 
"When [my parents] got the diagnosis, they didn't really know what autism was," Jessica said. "They did their research, but they just had this question of, 'Well what do we do now?' Since then it's just been a constant fight for his education."
 
Her parents' fight to get the right schooling for her younger brother is what inspired Jessica to embark on a career in special education. A junior at Longwood majoring in liberal studies, her goal is to heighten the awareness for special needs education in school systems and improve the quality of attention special-needs students like Austin receive.
 
"Growing up with Austin and seeing him progress over the years, I think it's just been a huge testament to the power of education," she said. "If education is done right, these are the results. I just want that for other families; I want to give other families hope."
 
As the oldest child in a family of five, Jessica has endured alongside her parents the hardships and triumphs that result from Austin's inability to communicate effectively. Austin has difficulty expressing himself verbally, and as a child his frustration would often result in violent outbursts in which he punched holes in walls, kicked windows out of the family van and hit people, including Jessica and younger sister, Carter.
 
Jessica says Austin is most comfortable with repetitive behavior and routine. However, as a child, even the slightest deviation from a daily routine, such as taking a different route to their grandmother's house, had the potential to spark him into a meltdown. Asking him to endure an entire day of school without proper accommodations created numerous problems not only for Austin, but for the entire O'Bryant family.
 
"We struggled with the school system," said Mary Sue, who also works in the special education system at a local high school. "They wanted us to find another place where they thought he could benefit because they didn't know what to do."
 
The O'Bryants tried numerous schools until finding the right fit at Blue Ridge Autism Achievement Center in Roanoke, Va., which, according to Mary Sue, "has done wonders for him." It was a long road, one on which the O'Bryants still travel, but through it all they have had one constant: Jessica.
 
"We never had to push Jessica or tell her to help out at home. She just did that on her own," said Gary, her father. "Some kids, I think, would be resentful for being in that situation, but she took it all in stride. She was there if we needed anything."
 
Jessica was called on to take more responsibility with her brother at a young age. Her father worked away from home during the day, leaving Jessica and her mother to help Austin. She was there for the meltdowns, but also for the smiles. And the more she was around Austin, the more she figured out how to draw out those smiles.
 
"Growing up, I was the older sister so I've kind of been like a third parent," Jessica said. "As far as my relationship with Austin, I would consider him one of my best friends. I love to hang out with him even though we can't really communicate with each other. The communication's there; it's just not typical communication."
 
That bond persists today. One of Austin's favorite activities is watching cartoons, and Jessica estimates she can recite entire episodes of Blue's Clues. That is one of the primary ways Jessica interacts with her brother, repeating lines from his favorite shows.
 
"I don't know what it is about it, but he just loves it," she said. "When you repeat those things, it makes him really happy. It's just like if you have a little brother who really likes baseball and that's the only way you can connect with him. It's just with Austin, it's not baseball."
 
Austin is now 17 years old. While he is still non-verbal, he is no longer prone to violent outbursts and is significantly better adjusted to change in his routine. Jessica's parents are even able to "drag him" to Longwood soccer games where, Jessica says, "he tolerates it, for the most part."
 
"He's very go-with-the-flow, at least as he's gotten older," she said.
 
Jessica and her parents credit much of Austin's change to the Blue Ridge Center and Austin's own natural maturation, but they all agree that getting him with properly trained teachers played the biggest role. Jessica sees herself as one of those educators in the future, and she has already gotten a head start not just with Austin, but with another special-needs child during the summers.
 
As a liberal studies major at Longwood, Jessica can craft her course load to reflect her interests as a teacher. Her focus is on entering special education in the school system, possibly in the public school sector where she feels she can make an impact in how special-needs students similar to Austin are treated.
 
"I think what Jessica saw was the change that happened to Austin," said Gary. "When he got with people who had the proper training, I think that's what led her to wanting to follow this field. She saw the change in him."
 
The change was not just in Austin. Jessica bears a permanent mark representative of the impact her little brother has had on her life, and it creeps out of her sleeve every time she winds up to strike the ball away from the Longwood backfield.
 
"Austin understands that [the tattoo] says his name," she said. "But he doesn't really grasp why I have it or that I got it because he's been an inspiration to me. He's generally very unaware of how wonderful he is to those around him."
 
It seems that Jessica may not understand the same about herself, either.
 
"I know what it's like to have no hope and feel like somebody you love is not going to grow up to succeed," she said. "No family should feel like that. I don't want anyone to think there is any situation without hope, and education plays a huge role in that. I just think that's a huge testament to the power of education, and I want to be a part of that for someone else."
 

#GoWood