Two weeks after the inauguration of Barack Obama, Mariam strolled into the Autistic Services’ Lending Library. With her are Angela and Liz, Mariam’s teacher and one-to-one aide, respectively. Mariam stands out with the fashion sensibilities of a typical kid her age: she has two headbands that crown a long lock of brunette hair. Her clothing is a regal crimson red. Around her neck is a blue scarf with a fuzzy texture that begs to be touched. When asked to feel her scarf, Mariam, as if to tease, smiles and says softly, “No.” She looks as if she’s only kidding, but she’s not. This scarf is hers and only hers.

However, she is willing to share her story about her recent trip to the inauguration of Barack Obama. Of the nearly 304 million citizens of this country, only 1.5 million of them were lucky enough to attend the inauguration. That is less than a half percent. Mariam is special and, the way she smiles, it would seem that she knows it. After all, unlike the four people huddled around her, she was there. Even better, six days before the inauguration, Mariam turned twelve. That is a pretty eventful birthday present.

Though many people with Autism avoid eye contact, Mariam does a good job of maintaining hers. This is despite her endearing bashfulness. When asked if she has been interviewed before, she whispers underneath her kiddish smile, “This is my first time.” From there, she answers with “yes” and “no” to most of the questions, each time smiling, or even laughing. Maybe she is enjoying the attention. Or maybe she wants to relieve the stress of the attention. Or maybe it is just our silly questions that has her giggling.

“Were there other kids at the inauguration?” Silly question. No doubt, Mariam is thinking, I just traveled 460 miles to Washington and you’re asking me about The Other Kids?  Fortunately, Mariam’s good nature helps her laugh it off. Although, she is probably laughing at us, not with us, since we are all leaning forward as if our question was for the President himself. She laughs one more time and replies, “Yes.” She is definitely laughing at us. Just the same, our questions may be silly, but at least they are sincere. There really is a certain mystique about someone who was there. We offer no apologies and continue with our silly questions: “Did you have fun?” She pauses. Smiles. Her head leans inward. Her right leg is doing what we have all seen many people do; it pivots in small semi-circles, back and forth. After a few seconds she replies. “Yes.”

Now for the really silly question: “Did it take a long time to get there?” “Yes.” “How long?” someone asks. Children are notorious for their skewed sense of time. But we are talking about a child with Autism, and people on the Spectrum do a better job than some clocks with keeping the correct time. After a very brief pause, Mariam gives up the answer. “Ten hours.” This time she is not smiling, as if any of us would smile about a ten-hour drive. Mariam remained with her mom and her younger brother Zack in D.C. for four days. That would be long enough to recover from the long drive and to accumulate photographic proof of having attended the event. Mariam now presents us with the photos we were waiting to see, and quickly points to the Capitol and says, “This is Congress.” Her eagerness is heartwarming. On the photos, you can see that the landmarks have all been labeled by her mom. You can easily imagine Mariam reviewing the photos with her, committing it all to memory.

The interview now takes a political turn when Mariam is asked,” Are you happy that Obama is President?” Right away we hear, “Yes.” Someone then follows up with, “Was he your choice for President?” Again, she doesn’t miss a beat: “Yes.” For the most part, this is to be a politically neutral newsletter so questions about George W. are deferred. But the silliest question yet cannot wait any longer: “Are you happy to be back?” She pauses and thinks about it. After a reassuring smile, she offers a definitive, “Yes.”

We are proud to announce the official opening
of our first and new Buffalo Gallery located at
Hertel Commerce Center
699 Hertel Ave.

Join us for Wine, Chocolate,
Olive Oil Tasting & Hors d’oeuvres.
Tour our New Gallery and see an Eclectic
Exhibition of Art Work Created by
Artists with Autism.

Friday, March 13th, 2009 // 6-9pm
$30 Ticket Donation

Tickets will be available at the door by contacting
Frank Andzik at 631-5777 ext 304.
Ticket purchase automatically qualifies the bearer
for a chance to win a prize.

Visit our Home Page for raffle prize details.

We are very lucky. For one, a student of ours – Mariam – spent four days in Washington, D.C. and was able to bring back photos and a few words about her trip to the inauguration. As far as newsletters go, this is a dream. So we decided to put out the spring edition of In Touch a month or two early.

The other reason we feel lucky, is because amidst reports of a continuing economic recession, our agency continues to move forward in providing support and services for the Autism community. This support has recently expanded with the opening of two new facilities, which includes our first  Day facility in the Buffalo area.

We are naming these facilities ArtsWork for Autistic Services, since the hallmark of our agency has been the incredible art, music and live performances created and conducted by our community of artisans. Truly we are lucky to have so many painters, poets, writers, thinkers and other talents under our roof. And for us, the Arts do, in fact, Work. People are
continuing to reach out to us, inviting us to hang our exhibits on their walls.

This interest has triggered yet another outreach idea. This year we will launch our Lending Art Collection, an initiative that will make the strongest works in our collection available to local businesses who want to create artistic displays in their office space while also spreading the word about Autism and Autistic Services. As of this writing, four venues have
expressed interest in this program.

To celebrate this auspicious beginning of the New Year, we are holding an Open House Fundraiser for our new locations.  This event, which takes place on Friday, March 13th from 6-9pm, will happen at our Buffalo location on 699 Hertel Ave. in the Hertel Commerce Plaza. We invite all who read this to come. We will have wine, chocolate and olive oil tasting, as well as hors d’oeuvres for you to enjoy. Most importantly, the popular work by our community of artists will be on display throughout the building.

Please join us. More information about this exciting news and event is available on our website, www.friendsofasi.org,
or call Frank Andzik at 631-5777 ext. 304.

Veronica Federiconi,

Veronica Federiconi,
Executive Director