It occurred to me the other day that I spent part of last Saturday morning crawling on the floor at the center of the largest indoor gathering space in Milwaukee and nobody really noticed. My wife and I participated as part of Team Awesome Dawson” in the 2016 Autism Speaks Walk hosted at the BMO-Harris Bradley Center on October 15. Prior to the start of the walk participants had the opportunity to go onto the basketball court the NBA’s Bucks basketball team call home. As a person who doesn’t see, the easiest way for me to explore the team’s logo at the center of the court was to get down on the floor and feel it. As far as I know, no one took exception to a grown man crawling around feeling the floor of a crowded basketball court. I expect that few of my fellow walk participants found my behavior all that note worthy.
The Autism Speaks walk is a fundraiser supporting a variety of activities associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a disorder where individuals fixate on a behavioral pattern to a degree that exceeds that of their peers. It may have been assumed that my behavior was related to being on “the spectrum” or it may have been recognized that my behavior had no affect on others and was deemed to be irrelevant. Fact is that, as I get older, I don’t feel a need to know as much about how my behavior is perceived by others.
After we were done walking, we stopped at the Islands of Brilliance table. Islands of Brilliance is a program designed to capitalize on the perseveration of individuals with ASD by providing creative opportunities in the field of software development. As anyone who has ever implemented computer software will tell you, perseverance is a key component of success. We talked to the mother of a 16 year old girl who thoroughly enjoys the program. She mentioned that one of the challenges still facing the program is finding a clear path from learning to employment.
It struck me as a very strange idea that finding a path to employment for individuals with skills and perseveration qualities is a hurdle that needs to be overcome. The fact is that individuals with ASD are challenged with knowing when to stop persevering. How could it be that persistence of behavior could be someone’s biggest barrier to employment? This brings me back to the beginning of this story. While there may have been some raised eyebrows over my behavior, my chosen method for collecting information (through touch) wasn’t questioned. The United States faces a growing shortage of qualified workers, growing economic inequality, diminishing economic opportunity, and calls to “make America great again” by growing inequity and limiting opportunity. It may well be time to start focusing on what we can learn from those who focus on meeting people where they are and developing the talents they possess.
For more information about Islands of Brilliance go to: http://islandsofbrilliance.org/
For more information about inequality in the United States see:
Stiglitz, Joseph E. (2012) the price of inequality: How today’s divided society endangers our future. W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated.
If you would like to receive my monthly newsletter, The Affinity News, click here to subscribe.
Copyright 2016. Dan Lococo. All rights reserved.
Mainstreaming on Main Street 
Leave a comment