The O-town Scene

May 9, 2013

The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY

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A10 Our contributors talk about different aspects of diversity from LGBTO issues to questions of ethnicity and more. To submit a column or event, email editor@otownscene.com. Communing With Our Communities A community is a nebulous place, a society sometimes of our own making and sometimes not, a place where shared experiences join a people into a life entwined. The essence of a community is the communing of individuals, achieved through communication. Therefore, to be a part of a community, it helps to be communicative. The topic of diversity commonly includes stories of race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, gender and ideology, with the idea that the joining of these diverse groups, while challenging in the shortterm, in the long view weaves a tapestry of experiences that come together in a beautiful quilt, or some other cliché yet serviceable metaphor. The topic of diversity, however, does not commonly touch upon differences in neurological functioning, a bio-chemical fact that separates groups of people on the basis of brain function, the very nature of their personality and interaction with the world. This aspect of diversity is harder, more challenging, more difficult to coalesce into the grander narrative. It is this aspect of diversity that deserves our attention now. Autism is a disorder of neurological development that results in repetitive behavior and challenges to social and communication skills. While the symptoms exist on a spectrum, many autistic individuals have little or no speech capability at all. A major result of this condition is isolation. With few communication skills, the autistic — especially those on the severe end of the spectrum, many of whom I've worked with for several months — have trouble expressing wants and needs and tend to live in a world within 10 O-Town Scene May 9, 2013 themselves. Many characteristics of the autistic experience are not understood because it exists within the mind. Finding ways to break the communication barrie is part of what I do every day. One aspect of the autistic experience is a tendency toward self-stimulatory behavior, or stimming. We all do this, but for these individuals the experience is particularly intense. An individual may, for example, pour water from cup to cup, watching, transfixed, as it sloshes back and forth. Whenever I see this, I think of Susan Sontag's argument for transparence in art, which she called "experiencing the luminousness of the thing in itself, of things being what they are." There is an autistic point of view of the universe that is as mysterious as it is fascinating. A major event to be looked forward to in the houses where I work is a trip into the community, whether to see a movie or go out to eat. It is in these experiences where the students join their neighbors in the rituals that bring a town together and foster a sense of belonging. There was a time when these individuals were not always welcome in community spaces. I've heard many stories about trips to places in Oneonta that resulted in harsh words from a community member or a sense of rejection imparted to the students. Part of this certainly had to do with the disruption inevitably caused from time to time, whether from impolite behavior in a restaurant or inappropriate noises during a movie. But most of it, I presume, is simply discomfort with something not understood, being feared. In time, as people became more comfortable and recognized the students as they traveled out and about, these negative interactions were replaced by positive ones. This past month, a group out for dinner was astonished to find that an anonymous donor had paid for the meal. Far from contempt, familiarity breeds community, especially when one gets to know the students I've worked with. While words are challenging and sometimes impossible for our students, many are able to communicate feelings quite effectively, through expressions, body language and the subtle telegrams to one's intuition. I know how they are feeling, and they can sense my mood as well. The students out for dinner might not have been aware that their meal had been paid for by a kind patron, but their staff was, and the joy of surprise came through in their smiles and positivity. This, in turn, was easily intuited by the students — the happiness of belonging — and the act was certainly felt if not entirely comprehended. Membership in a community is one of the joys of living. If you see one of your neighbors I work with out and about, do stop and say hello. Maybe you'll receive one of those beautiful smiles I see every day in response, which says more than any word I can imagine. Kevin Eggleston is a playwright and teacher. He also works at Springbook. Reach him at keggles88 @gmail.com.

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