Local dignitaries and members of the community gathered in front of the Bradford Courthouse on Saturday afternoon for the annual Autism Awareness Day flag-raising event.
Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor Rob Keffer welcomed the crowd of around 20 people, including York-Simcoe MP Scot Davidson, Deputy Mayor James Leduc, members of council, the South Simcoe Police and the autism community to the town's annual event.
"Today on World Autism Day we come together to raise awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and to recognize that the needs of people with ASD living within our community and across Canada are complex and diverse," said Davidson. "It is encouraging today that we all stand here together and raise the Autism Awareness flag to foster understanding and acceptance."
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects nearly 1 in 66 Canadian children and their families. According to Autism Ontario, one to two per cent of Canadians are autistic, meaning there are 135,000 autistic people in Ontario.
Event organizer and autism mom, Nicole Kim has been orchestrating the flag-raising event for the past eight years but has decided to step down and pass the torch on to someone new.
MP Davidson presented Kim and her family with a certificate of appreciation and platinum jubilee pins to commemorate their hard work and dedication to the cause over the years.
"We are very appreciative of what you've done for us," added Deputy Mayor Leduc, who along with Mayor Keffer, presented her with a small gift as a thank you.
An emotional Kim thanked the community for their support.
"I have been doing this forever for my son, and now it's time for me to pass on the reigns and let someone else take it over and find a new way to help along the way," she said. "If we can have at least help one person feel comfortable in our community...then we've done our job."
Bradford resident Leah Szentesy was dressed in a full mascot costume of 'Bruno from Bradford' donning a colourful autism scarf. Bruno is the stuffed husky pup who became a local social media star in 2016 after making appearances at local events and businesses.
"She has a picture of Bruno from Bradford and she was using it to design him," said Leah's mom, Sandra.
Szentesy is an adult who is on the spectrum. She enjoys designing and creating mascot-style costumes and selling them on the side. This was her first time debuting 'Bruno' at a community event and hopes to bring him out to more in the future.
Tracy MacFarlane, who sits on the town's Accessibility Committee said a few words about the supports available for those with autism in the community.
She read the United Nation's proclamation for the 10th World Autism Day, with the theme, 'Leave No One Behind.'
She noted that the pandemic has reversed "years of progress" for those on the spectrum.
"We all need to ask why if there are ample employment opportunities and employee shortages, then why are so many autistic adults languishing away at home?" she questioned, noting these adults desperately seek employment opportunities, struggling to fit the typical profiles sought by employers.
Unemployment for autistic adults she said, runs as high as 89 per cent.
"We all need to ask today, how can we help?" she said. "Today let's celebrate, advocate and educate about autism."
This year is the U.N.'s 10th World Autism Awareness Day. A virtual ceremony is being held this Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m. To register, visit the link here.
For more information on supports for those with autism in the community, visit here.
