By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – April is both World Autism Month and National Autism Acceptance Month in the United States. The Jackson, Swain, Qualla Boundary Autism Support Group hosted the 2nd Annual Cherokee Autism Celebration in the Peaches Squirrell Sports & Recreation Complex in Cherokee, N.C. on the evening of Thursday, April 24.
Numerous programs of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) set up booths, along with other area partners, at the event which included many fun activities including bounce houses, cornhole games, and more.
A panel discussion was held during the 2nd Annual Cherokee Autism Celebration at the Peaches Squirrell Sports & Recreation Complex in Cherokee, N.C. on the evening of Thursday, April 24. The panel participants are shown, left to right, including – Felicia Sequoyah, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and mother of an autistic child; Kelly Stamey, Autism professional and therapist with Beacon Transitions; and Heather and Leon Allen, parents of an autistic child. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
According to information from the Autism Society of North Carolina, “Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that affects people’s ability to understand what they see, hear, and otherwise sense. Individuals with ASD typically have difficulty understanding verbal and nonverbal communication and learning appropriate ways of relating to people, objects, and events. As its name implies, ASD affects individuals differently and with varying degrees of severity. While typically diagnosed in children, ASD is a lifelong disorder that affects individuals of all ages.”
During Thursday’s event, a panel discussion was held including Kelly Stamey, Autism professional and therapist with Beacon Transitions; and three parents of autistic children including Felicia Sequoyah, an EBCI tribal member; Heather Allen; and Leon Allen.
Heather Allen told the crowd on Thursday, “All they want is to be accepted. They don’t want to be treated differently. Just accept them.”
Leon Allen noted, “A child with Autism, they love you whole-heartedly. They love you without any reservation. They love you as close to what Jesus loves you as anybody here on this earth can.”
When asked her favorite success story, Sequoyah responded, “My favorite success story right now is that my son, Thomas, is graduating in May. He’s going to be done with high school and I am so excited.”
Stamey commented, “I have lots of stories that I’ve collected over the years. But, I think what I’ll share is what I love most about Autism and I think why, 24 years later, I’m still choosing to spend every day with these individuals that I love so much is that they are the most authentic humans that you’ll ever have the opportunity to engage with. They feel their feels. They say what they’re thinking. There’s no question about how this person is experiencing life and we just have to be open to their authenticity, to accept it, and be authentic with ourselves. We can learn a lot of lessons, I think, from being around these individuals on the spectrum.”
Candy Ross, an EBCI tribal member who is the family services manager at Qualla Boundary Early Head Start/Head Start and a driving force in the Jackson, Swain, Qualla Boundary Autism Support Group, speaks during Thursday’s event.
EBCI Secretary of Health & Human Services, Sonya Wachacha, spoke to their ongoing commitment to expand services and support for those in the community with Autism. “I think that’s one of our areas that we really acknowledge that we need to build out and expand. We actually have six subcommittees right now that we’re encouraging community members for. We have a lot of need for the services and we acknowledge it and we’re working towards that. We have a steering committee that works on that every month.”
She added, “A lot of people have to drive to Asheville. Some people have to drive to Charlotte. Some people have to drive to Georgia. That’s really what triggered a lot of discussion around the need to expand.
The other thing that we have is Analenisgi. So, we have embedded therapists that are at Dora Reed…then Dora Reed has got a contract as well. They bring in providers that provide on-site services for kids in that system. Behavioral health is the thing that we do best right now.”
Candy Ross helped organize Thursday’s event. An EBCI tribal member, she is the family services manager at Qualla Boundary Head Start/Early Head Start and is a driving force behind the Jackson, Swain, Qualla Boundary Autism support group.
Some of the services and resources that we have on the Qualla Boundary right now – we are networking right now with the Autism Society of North Carolina. We have some services through Cherokee Indian Hospital right now. Children can go there and get occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy.”
She went on to say, “We are looking at a lot of resources…we’re starting these committees and we’re asking the community to be involved. We’re building it from the ground up.”
Ross thanked the following vendors for participating: Agelink Childcare Center, Autism Society of North Carolina, Tahnee’s Kids, Cherokee Indian Police Department, Pawsability, Vocational Opportunities of Cherokee, Qualla Boundary Head Start/Early Head Start, EBCI Public Health and Human Services; Tribal Option, NFP/WIC, VAYA Health, Cherokee Fire Department, Bluebell ABA, Exceptional Student Services Cherokee Central Schools, Cherokee Recreation, Analenisgi, Region A Partnership FSN, AWAKE, Cherokee Tribal EMS, CCR, Deerclan Productions, Center for Native Health, and Swain FS.
Michael LePage, Autism Society of North Carolina regional service director, told the One Feather he is always impressed with the support given for Autism by the EBCI community. “There’s so much community here that I think that we’ve just got to create the structure that can really put it together for people to be able to access these services and increase their quality of life. I’m loving it.
This is amazing. You get all of these people that come out here under a common cause. I’ve been in community meetings and it’s full! It’s full there and people are interested.”
LePage added, “We’re here trying to get staff that are also from the Boundary because we really want it to be culturally-informed to our services. Really, that’s huge to us. It should reflect your community. It should reflect your neighbors. So, we’re working hard at that. We’re showing up and we’re trying to be a true presence, not a performative presence. But really trying to be here and make connections.”
In recognition of April being National Autism Acceptance Month, the Autism Society of America launched the “Autism Is” campaign. Information from the organization states the campaign “is to highlight the diverse experiences of the Autism community and advance beyond awareness to genuine acceptance. Autism is progress. It’s always evolving, learning, and connecting resources to those who need them. In today’s climate, this initiative takes on heightened importance as a counterbalance to misconceptions and harmful narratives about Autism.”
Christopher Banks, Autism Society of America president and chief executive officer, said in a statement, “As we celebrate 60 years of advocacy, Autism Acceptance Month serves as both a reflection of our progress and a call to action for the future. The ‘Autism Is’ campaign amplifies the variation and depth of the Autism community, fosters greater understanding, and ensures that evidence-based support remains at the center of our mission.”
