SPOTLIGHT: Looking at the spectrum
from a different perspective

> DSU Blue Club aims to break stigmas around autism

Aaron Guillen
Staff Reporter

 

Wire is normal? Why do
humans have a need to
place things in categories? Are
all people with autism the same?
These are some of the questions
that the DSU Blue Club wants
their members to ask themselves.
In a world of instant satisfaction,
reaction, or answer, there also
comes an instant judgment.
Breanna Himmelright, the
President of the DSU Blue Club,
hopes to dispel the stigma around
autism.

According to Autism
Canada, “Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD) is a complex
neurobiological condition.

It impacts normal brain
development leaving most
individuals with communication
problems, difficulty with

typical social interactions, and

a tendency to repeat specific
patterns of behaviour.”

The spectrum refers to the
variety of ways autism presents
itself in the individual. While
some people with autism might
have found it difficult to interact

in social situations at a young age,
others might be non-verbal at an
older age. Perhaps, in a college,
others might judge without
knowing any information about
an individual living with autism.
Himmelright noticed that among
the various clubs and services
available to students, very few
services addressed the needs of
individuals living with autism.

“I had come up with the
idea for the club during a dinner
conversation with my parents,”
Himmelright explained.

What began as a passion
project developed into a safe
space, providing a place where
Douglas students with autism
could form a support network,
have their voices heard, and
where students not on the
spectrum can gain a more
intimate understanding of autism
and those living with it.

“I came up with the name
for ‘The Blue Club’ after Autism
Speaks, then reached out to
various students—including
friends of mine who went to
Douglas—asking if they would be
interested in joining.”

When it comes to
community involvement,

Himmelright has her sights set on
the right places.

“We will soon be working
with the Pacific Autism Family
Centre in New Westminster, to
promote two new employment
initiatives targeting autistic
adults, and we hope to have

more involvement with similar
organizations throughout the
Lower Mainland.”

While there are many clubs
that provide a fun and relaxed
atmosphere, Himmelright
believes that the DSU Blue Club
is more than just a safe space for

  

Image via iphoneincanada.ca

college students.

“I believe there’s a stigma
around developmental disorders
such as autism—there is plenty
of information on what autism is
and what it looks like in varying
forms, but very little information
on what it’s really like to be
autistic. And Hollywood’s
offering sure haven't helped the
matter.”

Over the past year,
Himmelright has learnt many
important lessons about herself
thanks to the ongoing support
from family, faculty, and fellow
students. She urges students to
reach out and give a helping hand
to others who don’t always have
the capability to ask for help.

“Tama part of this club
because I feel it is important to
give autistic adults a voice,” she
commented.

“It has helped me realize that
Iam not alone in my journey,
and that my experiences may
be able to help others feel less
alone. Whether you are autistic
or not, support in any form is
always welcome. Open yourself
up to seeing through the eyes of
another, and you'll probably learn
some pretty remarkable things.”

BC post-secondary schools lobby for improved foster care

> Douglas College and 14 other schools join the Write the Future campaign

Jamal Al-Bayaa
Staff Writer

 

he 15 post-secondary
institutions that make up
the BC Federation of Students
unanimously voted on adopting
the Vancouver Foundation’s
Write the Future campaign.
The campaign is a petition
and action plan surrounding
BC’s Ministry of Child and
Family Development, looking
to improve the conditions of
the 8,o00 youth under their
care in BC. The petition and
its respective campaign comes
at a time when criticism of the
Ministry is prominent, with a
number of suicides by those in
government care gaining media
attention, and with the BC NDP
demanding the resignation of
Child and Family Development
Minister Stephanie Cadieux.
The Write the Future
campaign is addressing the lack
of support for youth aged 19-25,
and is proposing solutions to
the significantly higher levels
of homelessness, poverty,
mental health issues, and
suicides. Advocates hope that

the provincial government will
implement some sort of change.

Supporters claim that if
these youths had been given
continuous support from aged 19-
25, they would be better equipped
to handle the situation of
independent living they’re thrust
into at age 19. Youth in foster
care would still transition out
of homes and into independent
living situations at that age if
the campaign is successful,
but the petition asks that they
are continually given support
during that process, up until age
25, in the same way that 80 per
cent of parents in BC are still
providing some type of financial
assistance to their children
who live away from home.

This lack of financial
support, along with the lack of
long-term relationships with
dependable adults, puts the
youth at a disadvantage. They
are living in an environment of
ever-increasing transportation,
education, and housing
costs—while simultaneously
earning lower than average
incomes. Campaign advocates
are also fighting for financial
assistance for basic living

costs such as transportation,
rent, and groceries; long-term
relationships with dependable
adults; and opportunities to
contribute to and connect with
the community through creative,
cultural, and volunteer activities.
The BCFS will be aligning
their organizational goals with

the goals of the Vancouver
Foundation by adding “free
tuition to post-secondary
for youth from government
care” to their requests.

As Simka Marshall, chair-
person of the BCFS, explains,
the organization believes
that “everybody has a right to

 

o
y
c
Ss
5
o
Go
Cc
>
i)
eo
c
vu
>
>
i)
y
c
o
>
G
>
vu
a
o
£

affordable, high quality post-
secondary education,” and that
what makes this campaign
important is that youth from
foster care don’t have access to
the same resources that other
students do, though they should.
The 15 schools adopting the
campaign, including Douglas
College, are given the creative
freedom to take the campaign
back to their campuses and
further its cause in their own way.
“It’s an individual process,”
Meredith Graham, David Lam
Coordinator, said, but it will
likely focus on the gathering
of signatures for the petition,
the continual demanding of
action from the provincial
government, and attempts to
improve the overall welfare of
youth from the care system.
Graham, the Douglas College
student responsible for the new
partnership between the BCFS
and the Vancouver Foundation,
says that it is the goal of herself
and the organization to see child
and youth issues on the platforms
and campaigns of every one of
the political parties during the
upcoming provincial elections.