Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month Project

World Autism Awareness Day is April 2nd and April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month.

To learn more and to be part of the movement, click "Get Involved" above (or in the 3 bars).

Project Background

Autism has always been a part of my daily life, I was diagnosed at the age of three and have benefitted greatly from parents seeking answers, access to therapy services such as Bears Counseling, Fraser, Pacer, and AuSM, and a supportive family environment.  However, I have experienced bullying and isolation from people not understanding me and autism. After getting to Life Scout rank, I had set my eyes on Eagle, but I didn't want to do the stereotypical bench project, because I knew that something like a bench wouldn’t have the same personal connection to my autism and life. This project will have a wider impact than just a single organization benefiting from a physical construction type project. I realized that there is minimal recognition of Autism Awareness Month as compared to other monthly celebrations. It started as a project to benefit my school but has grown to gain interest through others involved in the project in corporations, organizations and other schools.  This project has garnered national recognition.

My hope is that people on the Autism Spectrum will feel a sense of belonging and that they are just as deserving to be celebrated as other groups who are, and those in their communities will gain a greater understanding of what Autism is, so together we can live in a more inclusive world.

I have no problems with people having benches or construction based eagle projects, I was simply making a joke about the eagle project stereotype perceived by the public.