A Weekend for ASAN

The day after I got home, I spent part of the day in Starbuck’s reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, and to my surprise, managed to get over twenty pages into it. On my way back I went to Rimann’s Liquor Store and got a new bottle cap for my collection from a giant bottled water I got there. Unfortunately, that night my cold that I had been developing over the past few days started getting worse.

                The next morning I drove down to Johnson County Community College to attend the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network of Kansas City’s presentation at JCCC’s Autism Beyond the Diagnosis Conference. I got there and went down to the Nerman Buidling, where I found Sean Swindler, the man who had helped me so much at starting the JCCC Autism Spectrum Support Group, as I went to get my nametag. He smiled at me, held out his hand, and I shook it.

                “Ben,” he said. “It’s good to see you. How are you?”

                “Good. How are you?”

                "Good. I just wanted to tell you the group you started is going great. We get about twenty-five people to come each meeting.”

                “Wow! That’s great!”

                “Yes, it’s going great. And you started it all.”

                I then saw another familiar face I recognized from JCCC, Mary-Jane Billingsley, a faculty member from the school who was a great supporter of the great. I approached her and she was overjoyed to see me. She said a JCCC Autism Spectrum Support Group member recently presented at the conference and it had one of the largest turnouts they had had in a while. Soon I met up with Pam, Daniel, Spencer, Skyler, a young female ASAN-KC member, and a tall bearded member, Bart Ewing, a social worker who worked with autistic children and I met for the first time. 

                As it was time for the presentation to start, I went into the designated room and met Elizabeth, Elise from Horizon, and Erin from Camp Encourage, as well as a middle-aged blonde women and a wiry-haired, broad-shouldered black young man. I talked to Elise, who told me she was going to the movie benefit for Camp Encourage, which I had invited her to on Facebook later that day. 

11:30, the time we were supposed to start, was approaching, yet Teigan and Marshall had not yet arrived. Spencer went up to the stand and said that they called and had car troubles and were running late. As 11:30 came, they had not yet arrived and Spencer began the introduction, explaining the mission and history of ASAN and its local Kansas City chapter. Soon after, he finished and Pam continued, telling the audience about person-first language vs. identity-first language (person with autism-denying autism as part of a person vs. autistic person where one acknowledges it), and mentioned how still if an autistic person prefers person-first language, you should use it around them. The young female member went up to the stand next and spoke on autism rights. Skyler went up next to tell the audience about self-advocacy. Bart then spoke about accommodations for autistic and disabled people. Then, finally Teigan and Marshall arrived and gave their part of the presentation.  Marshall spoke at length about neurodiversity, and then Teigan spoke about cross-disability activism.  As the presentation ended, the floor opened to questions. The blonde women asked about her son with Asperger syndrome, and how they felt he might fit into the group. Teigan answered saying anyone who agreed to our rules on respect for disabled people were welcome to come. Then Erin raised her hand and said, “I agree with your idea of accepting autistic people the way they are. I just wanted to ask, how do you ask an autistic person whether they want you to use person-first or identity-first language?”

                Elizabeth spoke up.

                “I think just the way you worded it is fine.”

                The presentation ended and I met the audience and ASAN members outside the room. I approached Teigan and asked her when we were having the silent auction. She said we weren’t going to have it, as she couldn’t reserve a room at UMKC, but we might have it in January. I also told her about The Friend of Autism Pledge, and she said if I e-mailed her with it, they might be able to put it up on their website. The blonde woman approached me and asked, “Are you Ben Edwards?”

                “Yes,” I said.

                “Well, I just wanted to let you know I read your blog and thought it was just great, all that you chose to put on there. I love how autistics are just so honest.”

                I laughed.

                “Well if you liked my blog, there’s something else I did that you might like.”

                She nodded.

                “It’s called The Friend of Autism Pledge. Basically it’s a pledge of how one agrees to treat autistics, it’s on my other blog, and if you agree with what it says you can add your name to the comment section and I will put your name on a list outside the door of my dorm at school. I’m trying to get more autistics there to be able to be open about their condition so I can start a group for autistic students.”

                “Ok, well I will look at that. Can I get there from your other blog?”

                “Yes.”

                The young Black male held out his hand and I shook it. 

                “Hi, my name’s Cole,” he said.

                “Hi, I’m Ben.”

                “She’s my mom," he said, pointing to the woman.

                Soon I met up with Erin and Elizabeth. I told Erin about The Friend of Autism Pledge and said I could send it to her via e-mail, and if she agreed to it, I would put her name on my list.

                “Ok,” she said and gave me her e-mail address.

                We all went out into the Nerman lobby and sat down. Several of the ASAN members were saying that in the future they would like to have an idea of what the room they would present in looks like beforehand, to avoid sensory overstimulation. A dark-haired woman sat around them and listened to them. She saw me and spoke to me.

                “Ben?”

                “Yeah.”

                “Hi, I’m Jennifer Smith, the president of the Autism Society of the Heartland.”

                “Oh, nice to meet you,” I said, shaking her hand.

                We sat talking for about another ten minutes until I got up and told them I was going to drive back home. We said goodbye and I drove back to the house.

             After I got back and went down to Starbuck’s again, reading up to thirty pages of The Silmarillion. Soon after, I got the idea to take some of my unflattened bottle caps (which I had duplicates of), flatten them, take some of my flattened ones, and make tambourines like I had last year, only this time with one stick that the caps were connected to by nails. I went down to the hardware store, got a short rod, got back, and made a tambourine. Later that night I also read more of The Silmarillion, getting forty or so pages into it. Unfortunately, my cold still got worse. 

                The next morning I finished scooping Peter’s litter box when I heard a knock on the door.  I went downstairs and saw who it was. It was Riccardo, one of my best friends from high school. 

                I let him in and learned he was here to talk to my mom about doing some work for her. I brought him to her and they talked about it. He also said in a few days he would be going to Italy to visit relatives for about a week. Soon my mom asked if he and I were connected on Facebook, and he said we were. He also said we had a few mutual friends including Teigan Hockman and Marshall Edwards from the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network of Kansas City. My mom asked, “Oh, are you a part of ASAN-KC?”

                “Sort of.  I don’t really know much about it.”

                “Well you should talk to Ben and learn about getting involved.”

                “Sure,” I said, my heart racing at the prospect. “We could go down to Starbuck’s and I could tell you about it.”

                “Ok,” he said.

                We walked down there and ordered our drinks. Then we went outside, to a cool October afternoon and sat down with our coffee. Finally I said, “So about ASAN…”

                “Yeah?”

                “Well, we’re a group that pushes for greater inclusion of autistic people in society. We were founded eight years ago by two young autistic college students, Ari Ne’eman our president, and Scott Robertson our vice president. We have chapters all across the country including York, Sacramento, Michigan, and of course, Kansas City. We also have chapters in Australia and New Zealand.”

                “Well, that’s good.”

                “Yeah. Anyway, one thing a lot of us do at ASAN is use identity-first language when talking about autistic people, meaning we say 'autistic person,' rather than 'person with autism,' basically to denote that we don’t think autism is something that needs to be hidden about one’s self for them to be respected.”

                “That’s good,” he said, nodding.

                “We also believe in a concept called neurodiversity, where we believe all brains of people, whether they are autistic, not autistic, dyslexic, or whatever, should be respected the way they are and people with them should have equal rights to society.”

                “Good,” he said, looking interested.

                “And we also are a cross-disability group, meaning we work with groups of people from all different disabilities to promote equality and access for all of us. So we work with organizations of people with Down syndrome, dyslexia, Tourette’s syndrome.”

                “Well, I have a question?”

                “Yeah?”

                “How can I get involved?”

                Relief came into my body.

                As we walked back to my house I told Riccardo how ASAN-KC met every month and how if you couldn’t attend in person, you could attend on-line through Google+. I also told him about my Friend of Autism Pledge, and that I could send it to him, and if he agreed with it, I could add his name to the list of names on my door. He agreed to let me send it to him, and when we got back, he gave me his e-mail address. 

                He hung out at our house for a little while, watching the football game with us. Meanwhile, my cold had gotten almost unbearable. Soon Riccardo left, and around that time, I got packed up, and my mom drove me back to school, while I felt too tired to drive myself. We got back and she insisted on vacuuming the room herself for a little while. She also located a package in my room that I hadn’t opened yet, and inside it turned out to be a whole bag of Wasabi peas, which she said would be could for my sinuses. She left me with some cough drops, and later I went down to dinner. I got back to my hall, deciding to just rest, and went out into the lounge and read more of The Silmarillion, getting almost fifty pages into it. 

Visiting My Brothers and Sisters

            On Saturday morning in the middle of September I drove down to the Overland Park Convention Center for the Kansas City Ability Expo featuring artists from the Kansas City area, including Teigan and Marshall from the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network of Kansas City. After a little trouble finding the directions I got there and sure enough I saw them, sitting at a table with Teigan selling some of her drawings and Marshall selling comic books of his. They both seemed very happy to see me. Teigan told me that Elizabeth had come earlier.  

             “Thanks for coming!” she said.

Teigan told me at the Expo about ASAN-KC’s new petition to Netflix to get them to show more movies with positive portrayals of disability, as she said when you search ‘disability’ on there, the first thing that comes up is Autism Speaks’ film Sounding the Alarm. I told them about how I had recently been working on my letter to Alpha Xi Delta national president Sandy Edwards trying to persuade AZD to withdraw their sponsorship of Autism Speaks. Teigan told me that they at ASAN-KC had e-mailed them several times, each time getting back a “sorry, but not sorry” response. She suggested that we could try reaching out to individual chapter leaders instead to try and get all that we could on our side and until much of AZD had changed its viewpoint that Sandy Edwards would have to respond. I told her though that if individual chapter leaders stopped supporting AS, they could face extreme consequences from the National Council of AZD. Then I told her my idea for getting at least two hundred people from the autism community to put one-star reviews on AZD’s page criticizing their support of AS, since they now had an average review rating of 4.7 stars out of sixty-seven reviews and if we got two hundred or so autistics to put one-star reviews on their page, their average rating would drop so much and we could get their attention. Teigan liked that idea. I also told her my idea to get a bunch of us to put comments on their posts about their work with AS. She told me however that whenever someone puts a negative comment about AS on their page, they delete it and block the person.

                “Ok,” I said thinking heavily on the issue.

                “It’s alright,” said Teigan. “What’s that saying the squeaky wheel gets the oil?”

                 I met several artists at the Expo including an older woman with Cerebral Palsy, the mother of a non-verbal autistic girl who made several drawings, a deaf woman who gave me a pad of paper and a pen to communicate with her, and an older man with a speech impediment, who made fantastic prints and paintings. There were tables selling handbags, crochet patterns, paper cards with 3-dimensional flowers, and much more. I ended up getting two bookmarks for an optional donation and for $3 a card that said, “Thinking of you,” for when I find the love of my life and am away from her for a long time.  Before I left I went to say goodbye to Teigan and Marshall.  

                “Thanks for coming!” she said once more.

                “Sure,” I said.

                “You’re practically one of our favorite members. You’re a…what’s that word I’m thinking of?” she asked Marshall.

                “Asset,” he said.

                “Yes. I know, I’m just so tired, but yeah. We’ve been trying to get you involved for a long time… You’re like famous in the local community!”

                “Well, thank you,” I said.

                I finished saying goodbye to Teigan and Marshall taking some ASAN-KC business cards to give to people who might be interested in them. Then I went down to the lower floor, about to walk to my car and drive home when I got a call on my phone. Unable to see the Caller ID number because my screen was cracked I answered it, and a female voice came up, with me having trouble finding out whose it was because it sounded so similar at first to other female voices I know. Finally I found out who it was.  It was Erin. 

                “Sorry," I said, "I couldn’t tell who you were at first.”
                “Is there something you’re not telling me?” she asked in a very concerned tone of voice.

                “No,” I said honestly.

                “Cause I’m worried about you. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

                “I won’t”, I said. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to drive in a car without my seatbelt like those two girls at UCM last year.”

                Erin heaved a sigh of relief.

                “Ok,” she said. “I was just kind of worried after I heard you had those drinks because I know some people who aren’t supposed to take alcohol because it interferes with their medication.”

                “No, it’s not that. I just didn’t realize how strong these drinks were.”

                “Ok,” said Erin, sounding relieved.

                Eventually I told her what I was doing, how I was at the Kansas City Ability Expo and what that was.      

                “You should get involved in that, Benny”, she said.

                “Really?”

                “Yes, cause your arts so good.”

                “Ok, well thanks.”

                I drove home and got back a few minutes later. Suddenly I realized that since I wanted to make plarn (plastic bag yarn) belts for ASAN-KC’s silent auction in November, I could take the gray Walmart bags I used to keep some of my stuff to repurpose, and replace them with white one, which I had over two hundred of to make plarn bags, which took about seventy bags, and use the gray ones for belts, as I thought that would look better for belts then white ones. After that I went down to Starbuck’s with my Cinematography textbook to read. First, however, I checked my notifications on my Facebook feed and saw that a Facebook friend of mine, Amy Sequenzia, another person who was famous in the autistic community, had invited me to an event on Facebook called “Tell Dr. Phil and the Media that Issy Stapleton is the VICTIM!” Basically, a mother, Kelli Stapleton, with a severely autistic girl had tried to murder that daughter of hers, causing her father to take her away, and Dr. Phil would be interviewing her on the Dr. Phil Show. We weren’t sure, but many of us were worried Dr. Phil would sympathize with Kelli’s statements that she tried to murder her daughter due to there being, “not enough services for her.” I accepted the invitation and then read my textbook.

                Later I went down to Jack’s new apartment in the Mission Project, with assistance for people with disabilities that let them live somewhat independently, seeing it for the first time. It felt great to finally see Jack again, and showed me his living room, kitchen, dining room, and bedroom, in which there were fantastic paintings and sculptures he had done at Johnson County Community College after he left THRIVE, including ones I had seen of his earlier. Jack had always been a terrific artist, and I was not surprised at these works. He also showed me a storage space he had down in the basement, where he kept his bicycle, and the laundry room. He also told me Corey, Zach, Pierce, and Julie, our friends from THRIVE, were now living at the Mission Project. He took me down to his workplace Script Pro., which manufactures pharmaceutical machines. It was a beautiful building, which also had a goldfish pond and garden from a house it had bought, which was now part of its facilities, a rec center, and a martial arts and yoga studio. He took me to their break building, storage units, custodial area, and customer service building. It was a neat area, and I was glad Jack got to work for it. In a couple of years, he said, he may move on to doing things other than custodial work, which he enjoyed doing for them. He said the people were really nice, some of them being funny, and that one person there also had autism.

                We got back to his apartment and ordered pizza from Dominos, which we walked down to get. As I remembered him, he ordered his with no sauce just like mine. Afterwards we watched the movie Cast Away on the sofa in his living room, and towards the end, I noticed Tom Hanks said that during all his experiences, when he wished he was dead, all he could do was breathe, and it reminded him he was still alive. Before I left, I gave Jack a business card of ASAN-KC, thinking he might want to get involved in the art expo next year.

                I got back home that night thinking about what Teigan had said earlier that day about reaching out to individual chapter leaders of Alpha Xi Delta to withdraw their support for Autism Speaks. I realized, of course, that if they did that, Sandy Edwards from the National Council might invoke harsh consequences on them. She might revoke their charter, and the whole chapter would no longer be in Alpha Xi Delta. But then I thought, so what? I had already given up something like that for the autism community, having opted the choice of refusing to pledge to Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity last year to focus on starting an autism group at UCM, after feeling the bid was a refreshing step from years of bullying, discrimination, and misguided counselor, and since then had not looked back, as I said to my dad (about the autistic community of UCM), “they are my brothers and sisters.” If Alpha Xi Delta sisters were to wear the mane of autism advocates, why should they not have to sacrifice like I did for the cause? I remembered Cassie Burghoff, the first friend I had made at UCM outside of THRIVE, who I was now long sure had Asperger syndrome, remembering her sacrifice to be a social worker, and my willingness to honor her path despite the fact that I had grown very fond of her. Why should AZD sisters be considered top advocates when they have done what they do from comfort and convenience from being sorority leaders with resources and privilege like we had not had?

                The next morning before I went back to school, I gathered up all my gray Walmart bags I used to keep my recyclables in and put them in white ones. As I was about to leave and feeling stressed about all I had to do (at least that I wanted), I remembered what Tom Hanks said in Cast Away about how he just had to breathe and he remembered that he was alive, just how I remembered Timber Hawkeye in Buddhist Boot Camp said we can focus on our breath and remember that we are alive. Then, with my mom in the car next to me, I drove on the highway for the first time in a while to Lee’s Summit, where I would meet my grandparents who would take me back to school. We drove back, and I told my grandmom, who was excited to hear, about my work with ASAN-KC and their new existence in Kansas City.  

                “Well that’s good," she said. "We need that.”

                I got back, gathered my stuff, said goodbye to my grandparents, hugging my grandmom goodbye, and went up to my dorm. I took my recyclables (except for my glass) down to the recycling bin in the courtyard. Then I made four more leather bracelets, getting caught up on my quota. I also saw my plastic buckles had come in the mail. 

                I ate dinner with Josiah, Sally, and Josiah’s friend Ben tonight. After that I made another paracord bracelet. Then I worked on my song some more. After that I ran on the treadmill for about an hour. After I got back I got some more beers at Break Time, an amber lager, which tasted surprisingly good to me, and from which I got a new bottle cap for my collection. Erin called me, apologizing for jumping to conclusion with me yesterday, and told me she didn’t mean to imply I’d do anything. I told her it was fine and she didn’t need to worry. Then I went back to my dorm waiting to get to sleep, and remembered how whenever I mention anything autism-related to Cassie, e.g., my autism group, she tended to get a little annoyed at me mentioning such a thing, as if she did not want to talk about it. Yet I realized if one were to say that had an autism spectrum condition to their friends, it would be so much trouble faking to pass for “normal,” as autistics so often had to do.

                But I knew exactly how Cassie felt. There was nothing wrong with her beyond the way of being a normal human being. Having an autism group to go to and be accepted at couldn’t possibly satisfy the need to feel like everyone else. 

 

               

The Next Rush Begins

After I got back from Labor Day again made another bracelet for the silent auction. The next day I went outside, trying to spend some time outdoors as I heard it relieves stress, and read a lot of Walden for my American Renaissance class. I saw Sara walking by, though having forgotten her name, and she smiled and waved at me and we both said hello. I later went into the dining hall to get some coffee and relax, when I saw her. We both said hello and I said to her, feeling bad, “I’m sorry, I forgot your name.”

                “Sara,” she said.

                “Ok,”

                As she was getting some food, I told her, “If you want you can come sit with me.”

                “Ok,” she said.

                I sat down and after she was done getting food she joined me. We sat together and got to know each other a lot. I learned she was a Criminal Justice major, a junior, was from Lee’s Summit, had three older siblings, and didn’t like to watch TV, but loved to read. She was amazed by how I did my class schedule, saying she feels like she can only work with an organized schedule. I also learned she was taking Creative Problem-Solving with a different instructor. I told her about my coasters and art, and she said, “I could never do anything creative.” And I told her, “Well, remember what they say in class about how everyone has creativity.” I asked her if she had any pets, and she said she and her boyfriend both have a dog who lives in his apartment in Warrensburg. She asked, “Is your family coming down for family weekend?” I said, “No, there not.” It felt very nice that day being in her company.

                Later I returned my library books, deposited my pay checks, got a new student ID at the bank because mine was bent and they told me I could get a free replacement if I still had it at the bank, and bought some tape and glue at the Union bookstore to make some more receipt coasters for the silent auction. Then I read more of Walden this time indoors. After that I ate dinner with my hall. I skipped my exercise on the treadmill that night so I could finish my Creative Problem-Solving homework, which was due the next day. Then I started on my bracelet for today. Hillary got to my room and I helped her with her Composition I homework and agreed to be her tutor for that class. Then I finished my bracelet.

                The next morning I got up an hour earlier to do the rough draft for my Anthropology of Food class, which was due at the beginning of class at 9:30 that morning and was met by Paige, who I sat with, and she asked if I could meet her at the dining hall later today. We eventually decided on 4, and I agreed to be there. Then as I finished breakfast I saw President Ambrose of UCM come in and sit with a group of students, and went to say hello to him. He got up, shook my hand.

               “How are you doing?” he asked.

               “Good,” I said.

               “Yeah, and how are the new students?”

               “They seem pretty good. I’ve met a few of them this year though not all of them. I graduated a year ago.”

  “And you’re still here?” 

  “Yes,”

  “Well, I’m proud of you. Keep up the good work. How are classes going?”

  “Good,” I said.

  “Well, that’s great. You let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

  “Ok,” I said.       

                Wow. That felt good I thought as I left the hall.

                Sure enough I did get my paper typed up and turned in at the beginning of class. I also signed up for a paper tutorial the next Wednesday at 1. Then I responded to an e-mail from Nannie thanking me for my card, which she loved, and asking about my classes. After that I found Amos Bronson Alcott to write about for my American Renaissance research paper and e-mailed my instructor about it. I then read more of Walden. I went to my American Renaissance class where my paper proposal was approved of and I did the weekly writing and took part in our class discussion. When I got back and made another bracelet.

                I went and took my glass and other recyclables I found along my trip to the sheltered workshop. On my way back I went to the gas station where I got a new Snapple cap from my drink and saw Sara, whose hair looked like it had just gotten out of the shower. I got back and I made another bracelet. Then I made another coaster from receipts, while Jack called, during which time I told him I would be home next weekend and he invited me to come over and see his apartment, the Mission Project, his workplace, and order pizza, watch a movie, and go for a walk around the neighborhood. After that I went down to the bowling alley with people from my hall. I got back, and realized that if we, the autistic community who is dissatisfied with Autism Speaks’ impact on the autism community, were to give Alpha Xi Delta several one-star reviews on Facebook, telling them why we’re angry at the organization they support, we might be able to send a message out to them.

                The next day, I went down to breakfast and was joined by Paige while Mom called and said that she saw Rick at Hen House, and he said he got a note thanking him for my hours from me and was really impressed by it, and asked her to let me know that he’s always willing to give me work when I’m home for the breaks. I read a little bit about Walden in my latest issue of Sufi magazine, in an article about the spiritual environmental movement, and thought that might be something I’d love to get involved in with my writing and work. Afterwards I started working on some coasters while Josiah came and looked at our room and was impressed by the artwork I made. He showed me a battle ax he made from beer cans that he drank from and said that I ought to show Sara my art and mentioned that she always talks to me when she passes me. He and Mardy played some video games while I finished my coaster. I then went down to Those Were the Days and bought several new post cards to frame and some red embroidery floss. Soon after I got back, I saw several posts on Alpha Xi Delta’s Facebook page about their work with Autism Speaks, and realized we, the autism community who are not happy with Autism Speaks, were to gather in numbers and put several comments on those posts, we might get across to them. I talked to my granddad and he liked that idea. Then I went down to a gas station and got some more beers. Later on I went down to the new Fitzgerald diner where I sat with Mardy, Levi, his fiancée Rebecca, Blaire, Kriti, Josh, and several other THRIVE students. When I got back to the dorm, I felt tired and aching, and wrote a poem on how I felt like I had climbed a huge mountain every day from years of advocacy, bullying, and discrimination.

                The next morning, I went down to breakfast where I ate with Paige and two other THRIVE students who I met: Ellie and Sally. Afterwards I read a great deal of Walden outside for two hours. Then I did my laundry. During that time I sorted a lot of recycling. I also took my pictures for my Cinematography class.

                During dinner I commented on a Facebook post about Autism Speaks sponsors saying we should avoid the events of, comment on the posts about Autism Speaks from, and give one-star reviews criticizing Alpha Xi Delta’s involvement with Autism Speaks for the reasons we dislike it to Alpha Xi Delta. Then I shared the link urging people who disliked what AS does to the autistic community to avoid and unlike the pages of any of their sponsors that they had liked. I got back to my dorm and made another bracelet for the silent auction. I read more of Walden on the treadmill and when I got back I learned Ink4Autism decided to stop advising businesses to donate to Autism Speaks and donate to other groups instead and Drew Carrey, who was originally going to donate to Autism Speaks in solidarity of an autistic boy who was hurt during the Ice Bucket Challenge, instead decided to donate to a different organization after several people tweeted him telling them what Autism Speaks does to the autistic community. I then worked on my box and my Buddha a little more. I got the idea to carve some infinite signs, one for myself and one for the girl who turns out to be the right one for me, and started doing it. I went out into the lounge to relax, and again saw Sara pass me by, waving at me, carrying a bag.

                The next day I sat with Blair, Ellie, Kelsie, Shay and her boyfriend, and Mardy at lunch. Afterwards I read more of Walden outdoors. I also figured out how many white bottle caps I would need to make an autistic pride rainbow infinite sign. I then went into the dining hall to get a soda and saw Sara and Cameron there and we both said hello to each other, Sara giving me a very genuine smile. I figured out more of how I would make my bottle cap wall fish after that, and said goodbye to her before I left. After that I read more of Walden. Then I saw Sara through the doorway of the stairwell. She saw me and waved at me, smiling very wide. As we parted ways as she and Cameron went to the Rec Center, she turned around, smiling so widely she showed her teeth, and waved. Then I got to the Union bookstore and got some sticky pads. 

                After class I gave Hillary, Mardy, and Josiah all beers before going down to Crazy Dog’s to eat. I went to Crazy Dog’s where I enjoyed their delicious burgers and got a new bottle cap for my collection from my delicious ginger beer. I got back and as I was unlocking my door to go into my room, I saw Alex and he said he saw my snack wrapper collage and was really impressed and almost thought it was a painting. I went to Late Night where I met Hillary, Mardy, and Josiah. Then I carved my Buddha figurine some more, learning more of how advanced carving is done. After that I hung up all my prints I bought outside the Union. Then I made another bracelet for the silent auction.

                After taking a shower the next morning I went down to breakfast where I was joined by Josiah. During my Creative Problem-Solving class I remembered how at JCCC we used to have role-playing skits at my autism group to demonstrate the right way to act in the social situations we would encounter in our next week’s activity and gave people a copy of our agenda in each week’s meeting, and realized we ought to do that at UCM. So, after class I went down to the Union and scheduled an appointment with Barbara for next Wednesday at 11:30. After making my appointment, I went down to the Union bookstore and got a new pocket notebook to replace my old full one. Then I got myself a white chocolate blast from Jazzman’s as a reward for all my hard work, and sat down in the Union. After that I rested some more before going down to see a presentation about Mexican revolutionary politics during World War I. I got back and wrote down some more of my ideas and got the idea to compile all my poems into a book to show how I left my comfortable urban life to seek something more in rural Missouri. I went to Late Night and afterwards my granddad called to see how everything was going for me, and I told him all about the past few days and what had gone on then. I realized that this time I have down at Central Missouri is sort of like Thoreau’s experience at Walden Pond, leaving behind the city life for something more and learning to be satisfied with less. Then I went to do my Cinematography quiz. I got back and made another bracelet. 

The next morning I had breakfast with Mardy. Soon after that I went to the tutorial with Dr. Yelton, who told me his suggestions for my paper. I was walking back and ran into Karen Fahrmeier from the THRIVE staff, and went up to say hello. She told me the THRIVE students were putting on a float for the homecoming parade, whose theme this year was a puzzle piece, and thought my group would like to join in. I told her we would and thanked her before leaving her. I also saw Jacob, a friend of mine from South Korea, who I had met last year through my roommate, also from South Korea, while I was waiting for the meeting, and he invited me to come to a birthday barbeque of his with several of his friends and I agreed to do that. I also went on Amazon and ordered several plastic hardware buckles to make paracord bracelets for the silent auction, some rainbow paracord (as the rainbow colors are used often by autistic advocacy groups), and a book called The Golden Hat: Talking Back to Autism by Kate Winslet and a mother of a non-verbal autistic teen who together started the Golden Hat Foundation to provide services so children like her son could thrive. The book had quotes from celebrities who were drawn to the Golden Hat Foundation, poems from the woman’s son describing his life with autism, and the story of the Golden Hat, to whom a great deal of the proceeds from this book went to.

I went to the meeting, led by Anna, and at the end, Shay came up with the idea for a puzzle piece frame with a puzzle piece outside it, symbolizing that the viewer is the missing piece in the world of autism and needs to act. I told her I liked that idea before I left. My mom agreed to pick me up after I got back and the next day I went to Late Night with Sara and a few of her friends, where I learned she went home that weekend as she did every weekend, before they went to a party and I stayed behind as I realized I had an on-line quiz for my Creative Problem-Solving due at midnight that night. The next day I went to Those Were the Days and bought some more post cards to treat myself, before going down to the place outdoors, though partially under a canopy owned by UCM campus, where I met a few of Jacob’s friends, both Korean and Westerner, and enjoyed some delicious strips of marinated barbeque. I also got the idea that “the Autism Spectrum Support Group” might sound a little to dehumanizing for students to say they’re a part of to their friends and I thought “maybe the Autistic Student Union.” I put a pin in that and enjoyed some of Jacob’s delicious rum, afterwards feeling a little tipsy, and then had some of him fine whisky. A friend of his drove me back to the dorm, and we both commented on how he could be a great bartender, with me saying, he ought to combine it with a taxi service agency.

                I got back and met my mom, who understood that I was not up for driving and didn’t question my continual need to pull over to use a bathroom. I got home, feeling remarkably more alert, and called my friend Erin, and we got caught up on each other’s lives.

Seven Days of Summer

The day after I got back from Colorado, I scooped up Peter’s litter box before eating dinner with my dad and Cam. I showed them the bracelet I made, and they both said they should sell really well.  When I got back, I worked on my bottle cap snake before going down to Starbuck’s, as I had so much this summer. I made another bracelet when I got home, making it my resolution to make one bracelet a day before the silent auction. I told my granddad about the bracelets, and he too said they should sell really well.

                The next day I went to Starbuck’s and read more of Water Touching Stone. After that I found out Build-a-Bear Workshop ended their partnership with Autism Speaks. Then I made another autism awareness leather bracelet. My dad met us to take us to the lake and I gave him the belt I made in Colorado for Father’s Day. We got to the lake house and then went to the market and got some beers, from which I got three new bottle caps to repurpose. We met my grandparents, and they liked my belt, snake, and bracelets, and Cam said he had some bottle caps for me. Then I worked on my letter to Alpha Xi Delta asking them to end their partnership with Autism Speaks too. 

                My granddad suggested that they could be sold for ten dollars apiece, which my dad agreed with. My granddad and I also agreed to go to a labyrinth on Thursday with my grandmom in place of the Pathless Land on Wednesday, as well as Winstead’s and then Barnes and Noble. Then we went to the Canoe Club. I got back and found the bottle caps Cam had for me, as well as two new Snapple caps for my collection. Then I worked on my bottle cap snake. After that, I drove Cam around the block so he could show me how his car worked, as I had not driven it before.

                The next day I went to my art class where I was fairly satisfied with my progress on Mom and Dave’s painting of Leadville, and Donna asked me to e-mail her to keep in touch. I went into the village and saw Nick from my old high school who I learned is taking CLEAR classes at JCCC and has a girlfriend, and we exchanged numbers. Then I went to Starbuck’s, where I got an idea for how to stitch my Kool Aid pouch wallet together and read more of Water Touching Stone. I got back and spent the rest of the day stitching my wallet together, taking a break to make another bracelet.

                I continued stitching it together until nearly two in the morning. After meditating, eating, and showering, I finished stitching my wallet in the next seven hours. Afterwards I made two more coasters from receipts for the silent auction. Then I went down to Starbuck’s and read more of Water Touching Stone. I got back and talked to my granddad who suggested I pick out $50 worth of things from Barnes and Noble, and I got the idea while talking to him to make a coffee sleeve from old t-shit scraps tonight to see how much I could make when I’m away at school. I also made another bracelet.

                The next day I made another bracelet, as was my pledge, and later got a new bottle cap for my collection from my drink I got at Better Cheddar. Soon after that I went to see a glass labyrinth at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. My grandmom was sick that day, and unable to make it. We walked through the Nelson, and then got outside and found the labyrinth. As I walked through it, it felt so uplifting and mesmerizing, and I came out feeling almost completely different than before. My granddad was amazed that I didn’t run into walls as he and my grandmom had before. Later we went to Winstead’s, and then to Barnes and Noble, where he gave me fifty dollars to get anything I wanted there. As I was going in, I got a call from Tyler and told him I would have to call him back later as I was celebrating my birthday. I ended up getting a book called Rumi: 53 Secrets from the Tavern of Love and a CD by Nigerian artist/revolutionary Fela Kuti called Fela: The Best of the Black President 2. Afterwards I felt incredibly tired.

                “It’s partially from working on my letter to Alpha Xi Delta,” I said.

                “Well, you poured your heart out,” said my granddad.

                “When I get home,” I said. “I’m just gonna rest.”

                “What about calling Tyler?” my granddad asked.

                Sure enough I called Tyler when I got home before getting some rest that I very much needed. The next day I went to my art class for one last time for a while before going to Starbuck’s and reading more of Water Touching Stone. I also got another new bottle cap I got from a drink I bought at Better Cheddar. Again, I made another bracelet. The next day went very much the same, getting two new bottle caps, making a bracelet, going to Starbuck’s and reading Water Touching Stone. So did the next day except that day I had dinner with my dad at Minsky’s before going down to Better Cheddar again, and then finding a new bottle cap near the glass recycling bin in Prairie Village. Then I got home and packed up my stuff for the next day.

 

Autistic Advocacy and Relaxation: Our Second Vacation in Colorado

On the first day of August, I finished packing my clothes before we drove off to Colorado.  As we drove there, I worked on my letter to Alpha Xi Delta about their support of Autism Speaks, then my travel plans to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and then my letter some more. I realized as I read my Lonely Planet books on the region about how these port cities in western India were probably how Buddhism spread to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, just as the Silk Road allowed Buddhism to spread to China, and at one point, the Mauryan Empire must have been the center of a global Buddhist community. I drove on the highway for about an hour we munched on McDonald’s. Then I worked on my letter, then my Art of War for the Autistic Advocate, and then my letter some more. We went to Whole Food’s where I helped with the shopping before we ate dinner from their salad bar, from which I had some delicious jerk chicken, and got a new bottle cap for my collection. Then we drove on while I continued working on my letter, until we finally arrived at our cabin.

Soon after I got up the next day I trimmed and sprayed the dandelions and grass growing between the planks on our front porch. Then Dave and I went to Safeway where I found several bottle caps to use for my snake and other projects, got a new bottle cap from my drink there, and found a new bottle cap for my collection in the front of Safeway, that is if I can get it back into the shape it was in before. I got back and messaged Teigan about the JCCC Autism Across the Life Span Conference, asking her if the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network of Kansas City would like to participate in it. I also did a few more changes to my letter to Alpha Xi Delta.

We went to the Boon Festival in Leadville where I enjoyed a delicious meal of hot wings and chips, while I heard Teigan respond that they would love to participate though they will need as much information about it as possible. Dave and I then went to a bar where we tried shots of whisky and Cowboy Coffee. We bought some kettle corn and then went to see Paula Poundstone perform in the Tabor Opera House. On the way back we saw a deer. After that I got back and added some of the finishing touches to my letter. Then I made another coaster from receipts, while I thought about Autism Speaks stranglehold over the conversation on autism, but then remembered Winston Churchill’s quote, “When you think you are going through hell, keep going.”

           The next day cut and sprayed some dandelions for my mom and Dave. Then we went to the Boon Festival where I enjoyed a brisket sandwich and chips and then bought a Peruvian flute and shaker at one stand and a hand drum at another and picked up and recycled several recyclables. I got back and made several flowers and beads from straws I found on the ground. Then I practiced my flute for half an hour and sort of invented a new slightly different fingering notation that worked better for me. 

I made three more coasters from receipts and during dinner, the subject of Autism Speaks came up between my mom and I and to my intense relief, she said she agreed with what I thought of them, though she said she thought I ought to get my message across in a way that wasn’t angry, which was fair enough. I also told her about my letter to Alpha Xi Delta and she said she thought I should do that. I then finished two more coasters. I realized I must have been quite helpful to the autistic struggle by getting all these autistic people together at JCCC; a lot of good can come about when autistic people get together; look at the Silicon Valley. I also realized that it was probably people with disabilities who first conceived the idea that racism and other sorts of inequality stem from our society's intolerance of difference, thus helping to quash racism, and helping our society to pay it forward with ethnic minorities, proving that disabled people are not simply economic burdens or charity cases as some think they are. The next day I communicated a message from Sean about the JCCC Autism Conference to Teigan. Afterwards I made three more receipt coasters and started on five more.

The next morning, I had a dream that I saw the citadel of Minas Tirith, only it looked much different in my dream than it did in real life, but I realized that. After that I wrote in my dream journal, during which time I realized that in my dreams, I’ve realized things are different than they are in reality. Then I delivered a message from Teigan to Sean. Later I started on eight more receipt coasters. I went into town and bought six more Native American postcards and a crotchet needle. I got back and finished two more receipt coasters. The next morning, I combined several receipt coasters into two more coasters afterwards. Then I sprayed some dandelions for Mom. After that I helped plant some grass.

After that I took a walk along the tracks where I took several more photos and was inspired to do more photography. I got back and worked on my letter to Alpha Xi Delta. Later I went into town and got a fish fossil to frame and hang on a wall at a mineral store and a crossword puzzle book at the bookstore. Then I went to a coffee shop and got a two-scooped cone of dark chocolate chip ice cream and an Orangina, from which I got a new non-crown bottle cap for my collection and ate and drank them while I worked on my crossword puzzle book. After that I went to the antique store and bought two more Native American postcards. Then I went to another coffee shop and had a lemon crumb bar while I did some more work on my crossword puzzle book. After that my mom, Dave, and I ate at the Grill where I got my mom to agree to send my pocketknife home in the mail. Soon after we got home, Dave’s mother and sister Brenda arrived at our cabin. The five of us went on a train ride the next day up the mountains where we were given a guided tour of the area. I got several pictures on my way back, and before we went home, we went to the taco truck, where again, I got a new bottle cap from my drink. Later I sanded the back door frame for my mom and collected some firewood, before walking down the tracks and going to the old warehouse and collecting some green, red, and gold leather, which looked almost red, yellow, and blue, to make braided leather autism awareness bracelets for the silent auction. I made one for myself and soon afterwards ate dinner with my mom, Dave, Brenda, and Mrs. Dingley. I told them all about my coasters and what they were for, and Mrs. Dingley suggested making a video showing how to make them, so people would be more likely to pay the price for them after seeing all the hard work involved in them. I also enjoyed talking to Brenda, who was a major travel enthusiast herself, about my own travel plans to places such as Tibet, Turkey, and Central Asia, and was amazed at how much she knew about the regions herself. 

                The next day, my mom took me to the shuttle car that would be my first ride on the way to the airport, giving me a bag that had a present for my upcoming birthday. My grandparents would pick me up at the airport and bring me back home. I got on the shuttle car that led to the next one, tipping the driver and getting on the next ride. I tipped the next driver after I got to the airport and tipped the driver again, before getting through security and soon learned my flight would be half an hour late. I called my grandparents to let them know. Soon afterwards, my flight boarded, and I made it to Kansas City, and was picked up by my grandparents. They took me to get a meal a Winstead’s through the drive-through, and then I made it home and made another leather bracelet. I called work to ask them when I worked next. They said I didn’t have any hours that week, but I figured that was ok, because in the next week, I would be going back to UCM.