The Carleton sign on Bronson Avenue was lit up with blue lights in honour of National Autism Awareness Day on April 2, an annual event that is meant to bring awareness of those who have autism.
The project to light up the sign was spearheaded by the Carleton chapter of Autism Speaks, the first chapter of Autism Speaks in Canada.
Before lighting up the sign, the group organized a walk around Carleton while holding a banner.
Circling back around to the Bronson entrance sign, Reuben Matthews, the president of the Carleton chapter gave a speech about the importance of autism awareness around the world.
“I don’t think autism specifically has been represented at Carleton. Students need to be more aware that people who might suffer from autism are here on campus,” Matthews said.
The club was created this year by five students who felt strongly about the cause. Previous events hosted by the club include a coffeehouse at Rooster’s to promote the club.
“I was inspired to start the club because I have an autistic brother and wanted to honour him,” Matthews said.
Autism Speaks is an international organization based in the United States that supports families and individuals who have autism. The group was founded with the mission of “increasing understanding and acceptance of the autism spectrum,” according to its website.
The organization has received criticism in the past from those with autism for seeking to find a “cure” for autism, and for not having any autistic people on their executive, according to a statement on the Autistic Self Advocacy Network website.
In an email, Matthews said he would rather not speak about the criticism.
He added that he believes Autism Speaks has revamped their mission statement, and is no longer seeking a cure.
“I do not think it is a cause for concern since our goal at Carleton has and always will be simply to promote acceptance, love and inclusion of those with autism on campus,” he said.
Matthews said the Carleton chapter is looking to involve people who are autistic in future events hosted by the group.
“To further that statement we are also looking for autistic individuals at Carleton to be executives on our committee,” he said.
Matthews said they hope to have Dunton Tower lit up blue for next year’s National Autism Awareness Day, as they plan to improve the marketing of the event to reach out to more students.
– Photo by Thomas Keating
