One in 68 U.S. children fall somewhere on the autism spectrum, according to an article on CNN.com.
Although April 2 was Autism Awareness Day and April is Autism Awareness Month, this disorder affects millions of people every day.
There has been a 30 percent increase in children who have an autism spectrum disorder, according to a report released this past year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On April 2, also known as World Autism Day, Keene State College showed its support by participating in the Light It Up Blue Campaign [LIUB], which encouraged students to wear the color blue to shine light on autism awareness.
Philip Bergeron / Graphic Design Editor
Coordinator of Community Service, Jessica Gagne Cloutier, stated that KSC joined thousands of landmarks, communities, businesses and homes by shining blue lights to support the millions of people affected by autism.
“Student involvement and the L.P. Young Student Center worked together to place blue lights in the student center and distribute information about World Autism Day and Autism Speaks U,” Cloutier stated.
Cloutier stated that she feels it is important for students to participate in Autism Awareness Day because it is a disorder that affects millions of people, even those who are a part of KSC.
“Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder in the U.S. and it affects members of our faculty, staff and student body. I think it is important for us to provide opportunities for our community to learn about issues that affect members, get involved and to help us better support and care for one another,” Cloutier said.
Junior Rebecca Marquis said that the LIUB campaign caught her attention immediately when she saw it taking place in the student center. “This past Thursday I saw the Light It Up Blue Campaign in the student center and knew that it was for autism awareness. In a couple of my classes, my professors mentioned it and held a discussion about what experiences we had with autism and the importance of spreading awareness,” Marquis said.
Junior Kya Roumimper also weighed in on how she took part in Autism Awareness Day.
“The Community Service Office supported the LIUB campaign, [I] wore blue, took LIUB selfies, advertised and helped light up the student center. Many students were also wearing pins, posting about or advocating for autism awareness on that day,” Roumimper said.
Roumimper added that she supports Autism Awareness Day every year, but that this is the first year that she has noticed KSC taking the initiative to participate as well.
“I think that awareness is incredibly important not only for autism awareness but also for any issue. It’s hard to [be] unaware of things once people are educated on social justice issues. All forms of active citizenship and change are initiated after some sort of awareness shift,” Roumimper said.
For her, Roumimper said that Autism Awareness Day is especially important because her cousin has a disorder in the autism spectrum.
“I actively work to educate people about dialogue and awareness, about changing perceptions and hopefully initiate sensitivity and change,” Roumimper said.
Marquis added Autism Awareness Day is also important to her because it helps her gain a better understanding about the disorder, which will benefit her later on in life when she enters the education system as a teacher.
“I wish autism was talked about more and I wish more was done to create a dialogue year-round rather than for just one day,” she stated.
Marquis continued, “Being an education major, I know I will have future students that may fall somewhere on the autism spectrum, so gaining a better understanding of the disorder is extremely beneficial for me.”
In terms of what other students take away from Autism Awareness Day, Roumimper said that she hopes people will start to talk about it more.
“I hope that students will start to dialogue about autism, even if it is simply them asking what it is or why the student center is blue. Any step towards awareness is an important one,” Roumimper said.
Cloutier stated that she hopes Autism Awareness Day encourages students to take the time to learn more about autism and autism spectrum disorder.
“Awareness has been really important for me because people in my life are directly affected by autism,” she said.
Cloutier explained, “The knowledge I’ve gained has helped me better understand and support my family and friends, communicate more effectively and advocate.”
Marquis added, “It is crucial to create a dialogue about autism because it helps build a stronger community that is more aware and educated about autism and the autism spectrum.”
Brogan Wessell can be contacted at bwessell@kscequinox.com
