Great Barrington — Two hundred and fifty people attended the fifth annual Autism Awareness Walk and Resource Fair at Monument Mountain Regional High School on Saturday, April 19. The event was a fundraiser for Great Barrington-based nonprofit organization Families Like Ours.
According to its website, Families Like Ours’ mission is to support families of individuals with special needs in Berkshire County. The organization connects families with local resources and programs. “We help families who have individuals with special needs find each other and find resources, hence the name ‘Families Like Ours,’” organization founder and Executive Director Rania Markham told The Berkshire Edge. “One of our goals is to create events that bring us all together, whether your child is autistic or has ADHD and you are just looking for a space in the world to fit in as you are. The Autism Awareness Walk event is so much more than just a celebration of our autistic community, but also all the families who have disabled children or adults in their lives.”
Markham said that she founded the organization five years ago when her son was diagnosed with autism and a rare genetic disorder. “The more I looked for support, the more I felt so isolated,” Markham said. “Then the pandemic hit, and it was just a hot mess. Through this organization, we now serve over 100 families in the Berkshire County area, along with families from Connecticut and New York. We are a group of families that enter the community with kindness and acceptance.”
Markham said that the organization also helps families with special needs find events for their children. “If you have children who get overstimulated and you don’t know what events to attend, or you feel judged in any way, we are the people you want to find,” Markham said. “Our organization does not judge you.”
“An organization like this is important because it’s such a lonely path as a parent when you have a child with special needs,” said volunteer Sarah Gulotta from Sheffield. “I have a daughter who is on the [autism] spectrum. You don’t know that other people are going through the same things you are going through until you collaborate with others who have experienced the same things. It also helps you and your child feel less lonely because you don’t feel like you are the only person who is having these experiences. My daughter, in particular, is excited to come to an event like this because it makes them feel that they are not different from other children. Being in this group normalizes the parents, the children, and the community of all these people, and this organization makes people feel like they are normalizing their lives and circumstances.”
Event participant Angela Baldwin, of Great Barrington, has a six-year-old son with autism. “To me, this organization means family,” Baldwin said. “It means coming together with people who all have something in common, sharing and celebrating something that maybe other people can’t see. This organization brings awareness to autism and other neurodiversities, and also provides resources.”
The event included over 35 vendors, including organizations that provide resources for families.
“We need these resources because autism doesn’t end at 18 years old,” Baldwin said. “It keeps going, which is why we need resources.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Baldwin added. “There is so much stigma when it comes to autism. I think people are a bit afraid of autism, and it’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s nothing to fear because it’s beautiful. The autistic mind is the most beautiful mind I’ve ever known. There are feelings in there, there’s intelligence, and I just think people need to be more open and accepting of it all.”
For more information about Families Like Ours, visit its website.
