April is Autism Inclusion Awareness Month!

Every April, the Autism community comes together in support of Autism Awareness Month. We “light it up blue” on April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day. We attend local Autism Walks. We host resource fairs (like the 2018 Rock Walk!).

 

The camaraderie throughout April is incredible. I have personally met so many people at these events who have become close friends and professional colleagues (even some WRTS franchise owners). I love April. I love the Autism community.

But I’m not so sure I love the term “Autism Awareness” anymore.

You see, it used to serve a beautiful purpose. We needed our mothers, fathers, advocates, and supporters coming out of the home and screaming “this is who we are, this is our journey!” and we needed our extended families, neighbors, and friends to understand this journey.

I can’t help but think – is just being “aware” of autism enough?

We’ve come out of our homes. We have told you who we are. Now is the time for us to level up.

It’s time to tell you what we need.

We need all of our kids to be included. We need inclusion. And we need it everywhere.

We Rock the Spectrum provides an inclusive play environment, and we are proud to do our part.

But the autism community needs more. We need our schools to catch up. We need our neighbors to go beyond accepting us and to include us. And as Warrior Parents and Advocates, we need to claw, scratch, and fight until we get it.

So…

Step one – let’s get ready for Inclusion Awareness Month this April. It’s time to make everyone aware of the autism community’s need for inclusion.

Step two – let’s take everything we’re doing this April one step further. If you want to “light it up blue” on social media, attend a local walk, or any other ACTION this month, I ask that you do this ONE thing: include someone unfamiliar with the autism community when you do it.

Tell them why you need them. Explain to them how they can be involved with your life and ask how you can be involved in theirs.

Inclusion isn’t just going to happen. We need to make it happen.

At We Rock the Spectrum, our gyms are going “all-in”! Look at the events we’re attending/hosting throughout the country:

So we ask of you, will you spread our mission, too? Will you participate in Inclusion Awareness Month this April?

We need you.