April 2013, Becky started the
Sensory-Friendly Movie Event at
the Grand 14 Theater in Market
Commons. “Many children with
autism have sensory-processing
issues which make lights, sounds,
crowds, and smells intolerable, causing meltdowns. Additionally, most children have a comorbidity, like autism paired with
ADHD. Sensory-friendly movies have the lights up, the sound
down, and the children are free to move around. At our movies, we have the entire theater to ourselves, which makes it
that much better.” This way, the entire family could participate
in CAN activities while helping raise awareness and receiving
support needed. The first movie had 12 participants and has
since grown to 170. “I still get a rush every time I go to the movies. It is so much fun to see the kids and their parents enjoying
themselves, relaxing, and watching a movie. The feedback,
especially from first-timers, is awesome, rewarding, and motivating—It’s driven me.” Initially, the movies were free. Unfortunately, the Lowcountry Autism Foundation ceased funding
in January 2015. Not to be discouraged, Becky continued with
the event, funding the movies herself. “It was and continues to
be important to me to have the movies be free for the families.
I think of the Sensory-Friendly Movies as a ‘gateway’ event and
activity. With a child with autism, it is hard enough to get up
and out of the house, relatively on time, to do something new.
To think that you will have to pay $20-30 for movie tickets, only
to have to leave because your autistic child could not tolerate
this new experience…Many (if not most) families would just
opt to stay home. Having the movies free for families eliminates a big barrier.” While Stone Theaters have now decided
to take the sensory-friendly movie concept corporate-wide,
movie attendance has dropped some due to the financial barrier. But, Becky isn’t giving up just yet. “We, as an organization,
intend on seeking sponsors and will raise funds to make the
movies free again.”
Other events Becky and her team have hosted through CAN
are: the Sensory-Friendly Santa; educational awareness talks
at community organizations; sensory-friendly visits to Ripley’s
Aquarium; and a partnership with SOS Healthcare to write a
grant for Autism Community Education (ACE), a program which
educates and trains businesses, restaurants, and venues in the
services and support needs of families with autistic children.
The ACE program was the perfect catalyst for change within
Becky’s community, as CAN now offers the CAN Card to families. By showing this card at a participating business/restaurant, staff members are able to identify the special needs of
those with autism. “When I began to train restaurants in the
needs of the families, they all wanted to know how they would
be able to identify the families upon arrival. I lost sleep trying
to figure out what to do. It had to be something easy for me
to administrate, as well as something small enough that the
hotels and property management company could hold onto
and give to the families at check-in, along with providing an
incentive for them to want to show it. I literally woke up in the
middle of the night with the idea of the card. It is small, so I can
give a stack to the hotels and property management company,
or I mail it out to families planning a visit. Additionally, the participating businesses are all very willing to offer some sort of
discount or special service, giving families an added incentive
to show the card when going to a participating business.” This
has proven beneficial, as Becky recalls one family’s memorable experience. “A family from the Northeast has a child who,
when he sees glass or ceramic, smashes it. This family requested that the hotel remove all glass and ceramic from the room,
including the lid to the toilet. The family also had to make this
request at every restaurant they [visited], asking for paper and
plastic. This, of course, is the exception, not the rule, but these
businesses, being part of the CAN initiative, did what was requested and provided this family with what they described as
‘the best vacation we’ve ever had!’ ”
Thanks to her tireless efforts in raising awareness, Becky and
CAN were thrilled when Surfside Beach became the very first
Autism-Friendly Travel Destination in January. “The ACE program was really the genesis of the idea. The grant award from
the United Way of Horry County limited the reach of the program to Horry County only. But, as I was educating restaurants
and venues, it just made sense to extend the initiative outside
of Horry County and have everyone come play with us at the
beach. Surfside Beach was a logical starting point: I live there;
it is clean, safe, and quiet; it has its own police, fire, and EMS;
and, it is small (there are only three hotels there).” Next on the
agenda is to, naturally, expand this accomplishment beyond
Surfside. “In the process, our tourist families are so excited by
the work we are doing that they want to take CAN home with
them. We are laying the ground work to take CAN to other places. We just need to plan and to be organized and methodical
so that we know how to support future CAN chapters and their
peeps and successfully carry out our mission here.”
In the meantime, Becky and CAN have partnered with South
Carolina interventionists to train the Myrtle Beach State Park
program’s staff and rangers to help it become the first AutismFriendly State Park. “This will be the beta park, and we plan
on taking the training and program modifications statewide to
the other 46 parks.” Becky is also working with the City of Myrtle Beach to provide a way for first responders to know if the
call they’re answering is autism or special-needs related, and
she has been invited to speak to the fire chiefs of Horry and
Georgetown counties this month to share this plan with them
as well. Launching soon will be CAN Mobile, a golf cart that will
drive around Surfside and Garden City to promote CAN and to
raise awareness. With CAN officially becoming a non-profit this
past February, the sky is the limit for Becky and her team. “We
have an amazing board and are currently in strategic planning
mode. Taking CAN beyond the Grand Strand and into other
cities and communities is one of our goals. But, we have to
walk before we run. We need to ensure we can support our
organization and its goals - both from a monetary and human
resources perspective - before we can hope to train, guide, and
support other satellites. I’d like to truly make people autism
‘aware.’ The perception is that knowing there is autism is the
same as understanding autism and the impact it has on the
families. Educating the public, businesses, restaurants, venues, churches, etc., reducing judgement, and leading with
love—here and everywhere—is the ultimate goal. Supporting
families with sensory/autism-friendly events that provide a
sense of community and support is the other goal. I’d like to
help other areas and communities commit and learn how to
support and serve autism families, in the United States and
beyond. I want Champion Autism Network to be a nationally
“watching my son
becoming more
confident & embracing
who he is has been
amazing...”
recognized name and organization.” Outreach is of the upmost
importance to Becky, as oftentimes many families feel pressured to stay at home. “Because of the sensory issues children
with autism face, many children become overwhelmed outside of the home and have tantrums and meltdowns. Always
happening in public, these episodes are almost always met
with criticism and judgment by the public-at-large: people rolling their eyes, making snide comments about your child being
naughty or you being a bad parent. Rather than put ourselves
and our children through all of that, we just opt to stay home,
which helps no one…not the parents, the child with autism, or
their siblings. I want to educate as many people as possible so
that my peeps know they can come out and play in a supportive community environment.”
As the success of CAN continues to grow, Becky is motivated
to continue the pursuit of community awareness. “With each
passing day, there is another opportunity to speak with and
to educate another group of people, or another event that
will support our families, or a fundraiser that an organization
wants to hold for us. It seems that our growth could be explosive and exponential. The initiative is already growing beyond
Surfside. Myrtle Beach is interested, and we’ve had contact
with an organization in New Orleans, too.” While watching
the changes within the community take place, Becky has
also noticed changes in her life at home as well. “Watching
my son becoming more confident and embracing who he is
has been amazing. If it weren’t for him, I would not be doing
what I’m doing. Having a child changes your life, but having a
child with autism completely alters your hopes and dreams.
It is being relentless and unpredictable; you have to be ready
for anything at any time. You’re less able to plan, less able to
commit to just about anything. Everything is a ‘game time’
decision. You become resourceful, creative, and empathetic
to a degree that you could never have imagined, as well as
becoming more fierce than a mama bear protecting her cubs.
I was blessed with a son that has high-functioning autism,
which I believe gives me the understanding, time, and energy
to help families whose children are lower-functioning. But, if
it weren’t for my son, I would never be on the journey with
Champion Autism Network.” The slogan of CAN, #YesYouCAN,
is certainly inspiring… not only for those with autism and
their families, but for Becky as well. “For me, personally, this
has been and continues to be an amazing journey. Every day, I
get to meet and speak with more people who either deal with
autism or who want to learn more in order to be of more support. I get to speak with and support people from around the
corner and all over the country. It is remarkable, and I am truly
blessed to have the opportunity to do all of it.”
Becky Large resides in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, with her husband, Michael, and their two children. Becky is the Executive Director of Champion Autism Network, and Proprietor of Large Impact, LLC,
a strategic online marketing company. To learn more about Champion Autism Network, please visit www.championautismnetwork.com or the CAN Facebook page.
SHEMAGAZINE.COM
JULY 2016
53