Sincerly,
Charlie Betz

its inspired me to write again and when i do i will recall this moment and the sense of pride it has instilled in me.

peace out people xx

Thank you.

Leroy Moore
Black Disabled and proud!

Thanks so very much to all who responded, the info, video, & thoughts you’ve shared enrich the article greatly. If not for my phenomenal husband, Bro. Jahfree I, there would be no way for our family to be intact. Many families of special needs children experience divorce and other types of dysfunction due to the stress. It’s my hope that readers are inspired to pass this on and perhaps even reach out to these families, particularly those parents struggling to raise an autistic child(ren) alone. Many thanks to the SF Bay View!

Once again, you’ve exceeded the boundaries of my admiration for you. First let me say, those are three handsome young men. You’ve really made clear some things that folks may not have known ~ or thought they did, but didn’t. I pray for your continued strength and perseverance. That you’ve raised your children, along with all that you do in the human rights/acivist arena is really something to think about. I also think you are a wonderful writer; your humor is very on-point. :-)
I hope many many folks read this wonderful, warm and enlightening article!
love u
fatirah

Good Morning Sis:

My hat has always been tremendously off to you!!!

Having the courage to raise 5 children, especially in these times deserves a GOLD medal – much less 4 sons and 1 daughter – with 3 of 4 sons autistic in an unfeeling, insensitive world.

And to do so and still be able to be strong, humanly aware, and politically active as well is a fete accompli of major significance!

You have an AFRIKAN FAMILY with particular strengths.

You are also the first AFRIKAN FAMILY that I know of to speak of the challenges of autism from an AFRIKAN Woman’s/Family’s perspective.

Years ago, I read a book entitled, ‘Son Rise.’

It was about a white family who decided that the system was abusing their very special and gifted autistic son – first and foremost by refusing to respect him as special and gifted, instead of categorizing him as a particularly repugnant dis-ease that needed to be committed to an asylum.

So they undertook the daunting task of educating him totally on their own. It was a very interesting book.

They have capitalized on what happened to their son.

A book (Son Rise) was written, institutes were founded (the Autism Treatment Center of America; the Option Institute with its SON RISE Program – 1974) and a movie (Son Rise: A Miracle of Love – 1979) was made based upon the Kaufmans and their son Raun.

And of course, I saw the movie ‘Rain Man.’

Millions were made on the production of the movie; from which actor Dustin Hoffman received a Best Actor Oscar in 1989 and the film won 4 Oscars at the 61st Academy Awards (March 1989), including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor in a leading role for Hoffman. Its crew received an additional four nominations.

RAINMAN was based upon the life of (then categorized as autistic savant Kim Peeks, whom Wikipedia says is really a megasavant with FG Syndrome, ‘…a rare genetic syndrome linked to the X chromosome which causes physical anomalies such as hypotonia (low muscle tone) and macrocephaly (abnormally large head).[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Peek)

Kim Peeks has also vastly benefited from the publicity and popularity of the movie, and has received specialized treatment from as varied a range of sources as his father to NASA.

I’m do not know how many – if any – AFRIKAN Families have benefited from either of these.

One can only hope; however I find myself wishing that the papyri of IMHOTEP were not destroyed to the point that any fore knowledge of autism could be studied and built into a library that would benefit people of color.

Also, there probably aren’t many people who know that RAINMAN is actually an acronym as well as the title of a movie about an autistic adult male who stands to inherit millions of dollars; who neither knows nor cares about this; nor will he ever; who manages to sensitize his completely insensitive brother just by being who he is…

RAINMAN is the acronym for
Remote Automated Information Manager (AOL)

and for

Reliability and Maintainability Analysis and Information Management (IBM distributed workflow)

Both of these are computer coding functions.
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/RAINMAN

One wonders, of course if Holly – weird knew this when they made the movie. I do not recall this being mentioned when the movie came out in 1988.

What else can I say Sis but thank you for writing the article, ‘Changing Your Autism Mindset.’

Perhaps this will serve as a beacon to those who may desperately need one – as well as recognizing others, such as yourself and your family, who are already beacons of hope in a vast sea of the unenlightened.

War Without Terms,
m

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHvXKgKeVN8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd_3HowvKlA

drug war video

Clifford Thornton – Efficacy Board of Directors

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