Yesterday afternoon, 12 autistic High School Students and 5 staff members met with 5 successful autistic adults at the ANCA Location. What a great time was had by all, lots of interest in ANCA’s international autism outreach programs such as the recent 2011 INAP Awards Convention and the upcoming 2012 three day event!
The students were polite, enthusiastic and so full of questions and curiosity, exactly how any young teen soon to turn adult would be! It was a very refreshing time, and awesome to have a High School teacher ‘reach’ out like this to community at large and particularly to the ‘working’ autistic community of adults!
What was so remarkable was that the students [sublimely] directed the time they had with the ANCA facilitators and that the school staff supported this natural process.
There was no divide between staff, student and the ‘employed’ autistic adults.
Each student was keen to know what it would be like for them in the future, and that they had desires and dreams that they wish to follow: such as being a pilot, working for the Ferries, being employed as an animator, writing stories and working in the culinary arts… just some of the things these individuals have already considered for themselves based on their recent past and current life experiences.
Not being treated very well when growing up and during the Elementary school years was a theme talked about during the very pleasant afternoon for all.
Questioning why are they different from ‘normal’ people was another very insightful discussion, providing their own answers through their interrelated communications which was accelerated by the natural associations of the autistic mind at work – an ebb and flow that only the autistic community seem to sense and intrinsically in step. By the end of the afternoon visit, they determined that even as autistic people we are all different, that perhaps we are one culture of human beings that have been lucky enough to be identified and to therefore know who and how we function to be able to discuss it openly!
To learn more about the Autistic Class Programs at Chatelech Secondary High School visit School District 46 at http://www.sd46.bc.ca/ or http://www.naturallyautistic.com click community and teens as well as media tabs under ‘about us’ section to review videos by autistic teens about what being autistic is like for them.
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