CUMMINGS AND GOINGS
A
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s a now-single parent of a 23-year-old
son, I have felt the gambit of every emotion. Perhaps that is why I liked the Disney Pixar movie Inside Out so well. Facing the future for both Conner and me has been
difficult. All the plans of our future became
a closed book. A new chapter in a new book
must be written. As a mom who was doubting
herself, feeling lost and overwhelmed, scared
of the future and the ‘what-ifs,’ I looked in an
entirely new direction and reached out to both
the ARC and the Autism Society of Northern
Virginia. This was one of the best decisions I
have ever made. These organizations welcomed
us with open arms and guidance. No judgement on where I was for the past 20 years, just
“how can we help?” They helped give us the
tools not only to face our future but also to embrace it. Conner and I became so active within
the Autism Society on a local and national level
that I became a board member for both.
just the two of us. Not only were we going
to get to attend so that Conner could receive
his award, but also, as a board affiliate, I was
going to be part of the day-long introduction/
training.
During our wild and wonderful journey, Conner and I found our voice and turned a Virginia
loop-hole into a bill #SB923 and converted the
bill into a law—Conner’s Law. Conner, to our
surprise and delight, was nominated for the
2015 Advocate of the Year Award by the Autism Society of America and won. I cannot say
how excited and humbled we were (picture
lots of stimming and jumping) as we knew
that so many of you deserved this honor. The
award ceremony was to be held at the national
convention, July 8-11, in Denver, Colorado. So
Conner and I were off on a new adventure as
we had never flown across the states together
Sharon Cummings, Conner Cummings, David Finch
ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses
The Autism Society, which is celebrating 50
years of support, announced a new vision
at the conference. They are implementing a
very important new strategic plan that sets the
course for living in a nation where each person
with an autism diagnosis is always provided
the highest level of respect, dignity and value
and provided every opportunity to constantly
maximize his or her quality of life.
The conference was energizing. We met so
many wonderful people—some for the first
time and some face-to-face after only be-
ing friends on Facebook. The
speakers were informative
and interesting. There were
so many sessions to choose
from that it was hard to decide
which to attend. The ones we
did attend did not disappoint
us. A few of Zoom’s regular
contributors were speakers
themselves, which was an extra
bonus for Conner and me. I
learned a great deal. One of the
highlights of the convention
for me was meeting all these
people who “get it” and have
similar yet unique stories.
Conner was one of the individuals to receive an award
on the last day, just before the
closing keynote speakers. At
that point in time, I was not a
representative from the Board
of Directors for ASNV, nor was
I a partner in Zoom. I was simply and proudly Mom—Conner’s mom. Prior to the event,
we went to the stage so that
Conner could practice walking up the steps and speaking
at the podium. He aced it and
said he was done and asked if
I felt better now. I paced the
room until the event started
while Conner sat on the floor
with plugs in his ears, listening
Stephen Shore, Jennifer O’Toole, Conner
Cummings
to his favorite music. And then
I sat right in front of that podium along with friends, trying
to listen to what everyone was
saying prior to Conner giving
his speech and accepting his
award. I had two people taping it. The speech was a blur
and a stop-in-motion event all
at the same time. I was taking
pictures through watery eyes,
and when his speech was over,
I looked around and said, “Oh,
my gosh, people are standing
up for Conner. He is getting a
standing ovation.” That comment and my watery, mascarastained eyes are on one of the
videos! I saw Conner get his
award; I did not see Conner get
his award. It was all a beautiful wonderful haze of love and
proudness (Conner’s description).
After