In today’s world, there are people who are born with their own quirks and learn in a different way than everyone else. It’s important to not only treat everyone with respect, but also to help everyone reach their full potential in the world.
On March 25, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. hosted a cultural event on their second annual “More than my Autism” event in Dina’s Place. The event featured Winthrop alumna Antwenette Scrivien, who focused on working with special needs kids and autism programs in the Rock Hill area.
“My work with autism in the Carolinas involves working with the Early Autism Project as well as Solving Autism. These two companies cater to the needs of multiple families and provide intensive therapy for children with autism,” Scrivien said.
Timarah Chisolm, senior exercise science major and member of Sigma Gamma Rho, was one of the organizers of the event. She worked with Scrivien and shared their achievements in helping kids with Autism in South Carolina.
“As a service based sorority, we do numerous community service activities throughout the year, such as Operation Big Book Bag, where we donate school supplies to Title IV schools here in Rock Hill. We also organize a program every October that is dedicated to breast cancer awareness with our national Hattie McDaniel cancer awareness and health program,” Chisolm said.
One highlight of the event was Scrivien showing videos of achievements done by people who were on the autism spectrum, including a car wash that hires autistic people and praises them for their attention to detail.
“From the videos, it eliminates the negative stigmas by showing that individuals with autism can still make a difference in society and can still achieve their goals,” Scrivien said.
During the presentation, there was a discussion on how ignorance about people with autism can give a sense that people with autism can’t accomplish anything and how this stigma would cause them to feel isolated.
“I feel that there is a negative stigma about the disorder because many people do not try to interact with them because they feel that they are different, but truly they are just regular students,” Chisolm said.
The presentation drew from Scrivien’s personal experience, and discussed how when an individual is helping students with special needs, it is important for them to know how to work with those kids.
“Autism is a number one concern in school settings, especially involving whether or not to incorporate students in regular education classes. Therefore, it’s important to have people knowledgeable about autism to help those in need,” Scrivien said.
With that said, the presentation acknowledged that there are improvements to be made regarding not only accepting people on the spectrum, but also helping them live to their full potential.
“In America, I feel that there has been improvements towards inclusion of people with the disorder. From working with adults who have autism, I have seen them be more accepted in the workforce. As far as academics, I feel that there could be more room for inclusion in public schools and universities because I think that many times there seems to be a separation just because people may not know how to handle their behavior at times,” Chisolm said.
