Carleton’s Conservatives raised more than $400 at its first fundraiser for Carleton’s chapter of Autism Speaks on Oct. 30.
In attendance were two special guests: Mike Lake, the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Edmonton-Wetaskiwin, and his 21-year-old son Jaden.
According to Lake, Jaden was diagnosed with autism at the age of two and is non-verbal, meaning he is unable to communicate through speech. Lake said his son communicates via writing and has a comprehensive skill set, including memorization skills and “impeccable” organization skills.
Lake is a well-known advocate for autism awareness in the Canadian government. Annually, he gives a speech in the House of Commons on April 2, which is Autism Awareness Day. He has also worked with different political parties in an attempt to create the Canadian Autism Partnership, which was not passed in the House of Commons.
Julia Parsons, the president of Carleton’s Conservatives, said that the group came up with the idea to ask Lake to speak when they realized that they needed to focus on other social issues beyond political leadership.
“Tonight’s about spreading awareness and showing that as Conservatives, we care,” Parsons said. “We noticed on campus that we need to do more to show what Conservatives are about, which is compassion. We are compassionate people, and we want everyone to have equal opportunity and success.”
Lake began his presentation by telling the crowd that assistance for families that have a child on the autism spectrum is severely underfunded in Canada and all political parties must band together to create a solution. According to him, there are a few key things that can improve to assist families that have a child with autism.
“Early diagnosis is key. For some parents with children affected with autism spectrum, it can take two years to get diagnosed, and then two years to start treatments,” Lake told the crowded room.
Lake said that it is crucial to embrace people who seem different. He said big transitions are also very important for autistic children, whether it be moving up a grade level, or having jobs.
“Jaden was included in a regular classroom throughout his schooling,” Lake said in an interview with The Charlatan. “We all believe that the other kids were made better as well, and they are more aware by having Jaden in his class. I think it had a real impact on them.”
Showing videos of himself, Jaden, and the rest of his family, Lake painted a colourful picture of what his family has experienced, as well as how accepting people are of Jaden.
Liz Tuomi, a second-year public affairs and policy management student and member of Carleton’s Conservatives, said the event was “eye-opening.”
“Tonight got emotional. I was just unaware of what they face. I think what is really important is spreading awareness,” Tuomi said.
Lake stressed that it is not only individuals with autism that benefit from inclusivity, but others around them too.
“We ought not fear differences. We’ll be better as a society when we embrace incredible potential, our whole potential, of people who may not always think, look or act like we do,” he said. “Too often we write that off as a negative, instead of embracing the areas that may compliment our own skills and abilities.”
Lake added that he wanted people who were not able to attend the event to know that even though people with autism appear different, they still possess incredible potential.
“We need to rethink the word ‘normal.’ For every one of us, our normal is what we’ve experienced in our lives. I think too often, we’re afraid [of] things that are different and try to protect ourselves from what is different,” he said.
Photo by Aaron Hemens
