There are lots of ways to make a difference in both your life and the lives of those around you.
Today, some people I know are participating in the Communication Shutdown online to raise awareness for autism. My problem? Silence can speak volumes, but in this particular case, I think that talking is the answer. Sharing. Communicating. Kids – and adults – with spectrum disorders like this often use the internet and technology to make communication easier.
And I’d rather raise my voice a bit to share their story than surrender the tiny sliver of influence or attention I might have to show just a couple of people what even a quiet voice can do.
(I’m happy that friends and colleagues are demonstrating their support, by the way. To each their own.)
My plea to you?
Do something. Contemplate why doing good is good for business. Support your colleagues in a fundraising initiative for a cause you care about. Tomorrow, regardless of where you stand on the spectrum of politics, go out and cast your vote. Use the voice that you’re given to speak on behalf of those who cannot, to bring attention to the important things that often live in the shadows, to find perspective and impact in a story somewhere that desperately needs to be told.
Volunteer what you have. Time, money, attention, social capital. We all give, support, and advocate in our own ways. And we all can do something that can make a difference to the people and world around us.
That’s all the words I need for now. My message isn’t unique or original, but it is sincere, from my heart and the voice that I have. Please use yours, and lift it in support of the things that matter to you.
This post is such a simple statement, as you say, but it encapsulates a promise I made when I noticed that despite all my efforts, I didn’t seem to be giving up on Blogging or Tweeting or Facebooking (Facing?). If I got any traction, I would do the best I could to try to start helping people.
Every day, I look for ways to do that. Right now, I can only do little things. Eventually, I hope to be able to make real differences in peoples’ lives. That’s really what I’m going for in my own life.
Thank you for posting this!
Coming from a NFP background (like you!) I have such a hard time with programs designed to create a metaphorical “experience” of the cause or concern you’re promoting, as with the the bald caps people wear to show support for cancer patients, or this one, where shutting down your internet experience is supposed to mimic the kind of isolation autistic people might feel in processing information or communicating.
In the end, I feel like they turn very complicated, highly variable issues into a single set of talking points.
Which is why I was going on and on about it yesterday, of course. 🙂
But I love that you’ve turned the whole thing around into a positive opportunity, and encouraged people to actively communicate about the things they care about.
Perspective! Perspective! You’ve got it! 🙂
Amber…I have been really enjoying your posts lately. Why? Because they are about empowerment! We are all trying be successful in everything we do and this is the type of writing and engagement that empowers a community of people to become successful, regardless of disciplines. BR
I can understand why you would question yesterday’s Communication Shutdown event. I like your idea of suggesting that people comment on the cause that they are passionate about…that absolutely makes sense. Get the word out.
For me though, being a mom of an autistic kid and being an autism advocate I completely got the premise of Communication Shutdown. Silence was our life when our son was 2 1/2. We went from a very vocal infant to a barely audible toddle in less then 12 months. For me, this event brought back the diagnosis, the struggle…gosh, it was almost 10 years ago.
Our son is 12 and as I mentioned he has autism. He was diagnosed at 2 1/2. The county early developmental team working with us at the time said that he would never be able to attend a typical school setting because he was mostly non-verbal and had so many delays. They told us to plan for in-home schooling, etc.
Well, our son’s story is one of challenging the labels and the “low” expectations. We made our own game plan with the help of many a therapist/teacher and lots of loving repetition and I’m happy to say our 12 yr old is in a typical school setting without para support. We have our challenging moments (mostly social interaction, communication cue missteps) but we are moving forward every day.
He and I discussed yesterday’s Communication Shutdown and he was thrilled about the worldwide effort to (as their charter says) create “a sense of disconnection and a sense of frustration. By creating a little empathy, we hope to encourage a wider understanding and acceptance of people with autism – an understanding we recognize those in the autism community already have.”
He saw me sit down at the laptop and start up tweetdeck (by habit) while he was working through homework last night. I told him, “Oh man, this Communication Shutdown thing is hard for me. Do I ever want to get on Twitter and share this news…but I can’t.”
His reply, “Now you know how I feel about 87% of the time, Mom.” And he smiled adding, “This is good.”
Awareness is good. This was a one day event to help people walk in my son’s shoes. From the blogs, comments of the folks that did it in support of autism (but didn’t know anyone directly with autism), I read a lot of “this was helpful”. In my mind, it was a learn by doing (or lack of doing) model. I get it but I also get your point.
There’s so many wonderful autism awareness organizations providing a ton of amazing information, programs, etc. every day including Autism Speaks and The Autism Society of America. And April is Autism Awareness Month with April 2 being World Autism Day. Communication Shutdown is one more way to help people understand how complex and how frustrating autism can be.
For me, yesterday was my day to listen and not connect. It was a good reminder for me on how far our son has came and that he still struggles every day. Today and every other day (but yesterday) is my day to share our story and hopefully help some folks along the way.
Bravo. The stars must be aligned this week, because your final directive to us is one I just followed myself. My voice is spreading the word about Embrace, a cause I feel deeply passionate about. http://blog.embraceglobal.org/