Look, No Hands!

Ridiculousness at its Best

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It’s Autism Awareness Month!

I’ve decided that throughout April, I’m going to “tumbl” my favorite memories of the awesome kids I’ve worked with over the years :)

April 1: Digging in the mulch together. I was 15, and she was 9. We were matched in a program I volunteered for, and spent time together once a week. I had never spent time with someone with autism before, and wasn’t sure how to connect with someone who didn’t speak. After a few months of watching her on the playground and making failed attempts to interact, I finally one day went to where she was sitting, plopped down in the mulch with a toy bucket and shovel in hand, and started digging, just like she was. She didn’t run off, as she did in my previous attempts, so I gestured to put mulch into her bucket, unsure how she would respond. She accepted! She even held out her bucket to me for more! Though simple, this is an extremely happy memory for me, because this was not only the first time I connected with her, but the first time I connected with anyone with autism. This Little girl became the inspiration for all I do and for the career path I went on and passionately pursue to this day.

Filed under autism ASD Aspergers awareness April

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For Californians, Prop. 8 Hearing is Milestone in Years-Long Saga

“John Gallegos, 56, of South Gate, voted for Proposition 8 but now supports gay marriage.

‘I think maybe I just voted for it because of my upbringing,’ he said. Gallegos, 56, grew up Catholic in East L.A. but no longer practices. He said raising a severely autistic son opened his eyes to the value of differences. ‘You can’t put things in a box or think of things only in black and white,’ he said.”

Filed under LGBT Prop 8 equality autism inclusion