While World Autism Awareness Day was recognized on April 2, to allow for schools and municipalities to participate, Autism Ontario chose to raise their flags in recognition on Monday, April 4. A.A. Wright Public School in Wallaceburg was one of the schools to take part.
“It was very touching to have all of the staff and students from A.A. Wright come outside in the cold to help raise the flag for autism awareness,” said Kim Unsworth, an educational assistant at the school and also the secretary for the Chatham-Kent chapter of Autism Ontario.
“It meant a great deal to me because this is very near and dear to my heart. Also every student and staff member of A.A. Wright signed the flag before it was raised.”
Unsworth said she got involved with Autism Ontario for a number of reasons.
“I was working with some students that were under the autism spectrum and was looking for any information around autism that I could find,” she said.
“I also got involved because I have a family member who is on the autism spectrum and felt it was a good organization to get current accurate information from and families to network with.”
Unsworth said in 2013, as a means of formally recognizing World Autism Awareness Day, Autism Ontario, in partnership with a passionate group of parents, community members, advocates and professionals, developed the idea of holding official flag-raising ceremonies across the province to mark April 2 and World Autism Awareness Day.
“This idea gave birth to Autism Ontario’s Raise the Flag campaign,” she said.
There were multiple flag raising ceremonies across Chatham-Kent and the province on Monday, including one at the Civic Centre in Chatham.
Unsworth said at A.A. Wright, and many other schools she has been in, she gets asked many questions about ‘what is autism.’
“This usually starts a dialogue about everyone being unique in our own ways,” she said.
“How we all learn differently and do things differently. At A.A. Wright as well as most other schools someone with autism is accepted for who they are as a person, not the disorder they have. We all work together, students and staff, to make every day count and include everyone. It’s about people caring for people for who they are.”
Unsworth added: “A.A. Wright is a very diverse school that works to meet the needs of every student and in return the students work hard to reach their own best potential.”
Autism Awareness was also celebrated at Walpole Island Elementary School last week, check out our story here: Autism awareness being celebrated on Walpole Island
Here are some more facts and figures:
– The Chatham-Kent chapter of Autism Ontario supports roughly 30 children on the ASD spectrum and their families.
– 1 in 94 children is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
– Over 100,000 Ontarians are diagnosed with an ASD.
– Approximately 1% of the population is diagnosed with an ASD.
– Autism Ontario helps individuals on the autism spectrum and their families by advocating on their behalf, providing services and programs, and raising awareness.
– Autism Ontario represents thousands of families across the province through 25 chapters.
– Autism Ontario is a place for families to access resources and information; and is a voice with the government.
– For more information, visit: www.autismontario.com
