Central West Autism & Special Needs Awareness Group (CWASNAG) is hosting an event "Celebrating Neurodiversity" featuring two internationally renowned speakers.
The event, to be held on Saturday, November 12, from 2pm to 6pm at the Parkes Leagues Club, aims to assist in achieving the goal of creating awareness of Autism and Special Needs in the local community.
CWASNAG was established in Parkes in March 2016 by facilitators Deb Collier and Angela Wilson.
What started out as a coffee and chat meeting once a month, has now grown into a strong community group entailing not only parents of children with special needs, but also other community members who want to be a part of and support this great initiative to see a change in the way people in society view individuals with special needs.
The group’s main goal is to create awareness leading to a greater understanding and ultimately a complete acceptance of the neurodiverse people in our community.
Angela said the group has managed to secure two incredible, internationally renowned speakers to appear at the event.
"That never happens in our small regional town of Parkes, so it is extremely exciting," Angela said.
"I simply sent them both an email back in July this year and was blown away by their response. They both said they would love to visit Parkes and speak at our event."
Both speakers very generously reduced their regular fees, so the group only had to come up with the funds to cover their expenses for the weekend and venue hire.
Angela said the John Holland Group, who are currently establishing the new Water Treatment Plant in Parkes, have very kindly jumped on board to help fund the event.
"We have had donations from Rex Airlines to help cover some of the airfares and Coles is helping with the afternoon tea. We couldn’t have achieved this without all of their wonderful support."
Mr Chris Ulmer
Chris Ulmer began Special Books by Special Kids (SBSK) with the desire to share the unique talents and incredible personalities of the students in his special education classroom with others.
He feared the isolation the neurodiverse community often faces, would limit his student’s ability to meet their full potential and positively impact society.
Without the backing of a publisher, what started as an idea for a book series became a multi-media movement. After trying to tell the stories in a book ("It was rejected by over 50 publishers", he laughs), Chris began to film interviews with his students and post them on social media. Continue reading more on this story at the BBC website here...
Ulmer, lovingly referred to as Mr Chris, and Executive Director, Alyssa Porter, have dedicated their lives to this important work.
Chris is conducting a 20-day Australian tour during November this year and is speaking at many events/conferences in major cities around Australia.
Angela said they have been so fortunate to have booked Chris to attend the event in Parkes.
"Special Books by Special Kids is leading a global acceptance movement that brings awareness to the joys, needs, and struggles of the special needs community and promotes the acceptance and celebration of neurodiverse individuals by all," she said.
"That is what our group is striving to do here in Parkes and the wider community.
"At our event, Chris will be speaking about how we can build successful relationships with neurodiverse individuals."
You can learn more about Chris and his global movement on his website www.specialbooksbyspecialkids.org and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/specialbooksbyspecialkids/.
Judy and Tim Sharp (Laser Beak Man)
Tim's mum Judy speaks of how she defied medical advice and expectations to help her son Tim overcome his hopeless autism diagnosis as a three-year-old (from a particularly unsympathetic doctor) to become an engaging and endearing young man, who has also become an internationally acclaimed artist.
Their story is one of courage, strength and the amazing love that a mother has for her child that drove her to do whatever it took to ensure her son had the opportunities in life that he undeniably deserves.
Tim’s artworks are from the mind of a man with Autism and demonstrate a very literal sense of humour.
You can learn more about Tim, Judy and Laser Beak Man from their website as well as view many of Tim’s famous artworks at http://www.laserbeakman.com and follow their Facebook page.https://www.facebook.com/laserbeakman/
Tickets can be booked at www.parkesleaguesclub.com at a cost of $65 which includes a delicious afternoon tea.
All profits from the event will go towards supporting the long list of wonderful projects that CWASNAG are working on achieving to benefit the children with Autism and other special needs in our community.
We hope many of you can join us in celebration of all the amazing neurodiverse individuals in our society that we know and love and to help create awareness in our communities. It promises to be an event that you will never forget," Angela said.