Hurricane Sandy disrupted so many lives and displaced so many people in our autism, disability, and special ed communities. Many of those affected are still struggling to bring routine, safety, and necessities back into their lives — and not all who need assistance are getting the support they need. Here are two personal accounts about what’s not working right now in Sandy’s aftermath, what needs to change, and — for those who want to help — how it’s so much more important to donate money than goods. Carol Greenburg aspieadvocate-ascd.blogspot.com I am the autistic mother of an autistic 10-year-old. I want to share something that happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. My son, who has not had school or therapy for a week and is disconsolate over the disruption of his routine, finally had some therapy scheduled for this morning. Public transit is not yet well restored enough in…
Tag: Hurricane Sandy
Were you affected by Hurricane Sandy? How are you doing? If you were not affected personally, do you know someone who was? If they are autistic, have you checked in on them? Do you know of additional ways for non-locals to help out besides donating to the Red Cross? Update 11/3: The sites Sailing Autistic Seas and Love That Max have put together lists of resources for our communities, please share widely (some are family-focused, others are all-ages, if you know of anything they’ve missed, please let them or us know. -SR) Sailing Autistic Seas: Hurricane Sandy Resources Love That Max: Disaster Relief for Families of Kids With Special Needs Here are three on-the-ground reports from autistics and autism families. If you know of other stories or want to add your own, please do so in the comments. Carol Greenburg @AspieAdvocate tweeted her traumatizing but necessary trip into Manhattan from…
Our community: All trick-or-treaters welcome, everyone who wants to participate, does. It’s Halloween! Are you or your family going trick-or-treating? Some of our families have it down to a successful science, and follow the advice from our perennial TPGA Halloween post: Do you think your child will enjoy trick-or-treating, but are worried it may not be appropriate for them? If they tire easily, or have easily-triggered and unpredictable meltdowns, then plan a limited route close to home, or have another adult trail your crew in a getaway car. If your child has limited mobility or is in a wheelchair, scope out your trick-or-treat route ahead of time so you can note non-accessible houses and avoid them. Please let us know your own Halloween tips, tricks, and successes. We hope your Halloween is a good one. —- We’ve kept this short, because our thoughts are with those of you who are…