How can we make sure everyone has a community where they feel accepted? For many people - the awkward, the shy, or simply the misunderstood - life is a lonely experience, and good friends are hard to come by.

Daniel Wendler experienced this firsthand. He has Asperger's Syndrome, a neurological condition that prevented him from learning social skills naturally. Without the social skills to make friends or defend himself from bullies, Daniel grew up an outcast.

Daniel did not let his challenges define him, however. When he realized that his struggles were due to his lack of social skills, he decided to study social interaction as if it were a foreign language. Over time, through books and with the help of his family, he taught himself the social skills that he was unable to learn automatically. He used his newfound skills to reach out to other "outsiders" and discovered the power of close relationships and genuine community.

Today, he works to share what he learned with others. He is a social skills coach and runs an online resource that has had over a quarter million visits. He believes that everyone deserves a place where they belong, and that all of us have something in common with the awkward kid sitting alone in the cafeteria.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx