Thank you everyone for showing your support for autism awareness and acceptance month by wearing blue and for being here today. My name is JiYoung and I have an 11 year-old son, Lucas, who has a rare condition called Dup15q Syndrome which is only one of a handful of known genetic causes of autism. My husband Gabriel, Lucas and our 6 year-old son, Liam, and I have been coming to LifeSong since 2018 and feel very fortunate that the pastors and Brenda were so welcoming about us starting a ministry for children and teens with special needs. (Anna's introduction?)
Living with autism and other neurodivergent conditions can be challenging for the whole family but having awareness makes it a little easier to be in the public. It means rather than being confined at home watching videos, we can board planes, take walks in the parks, go shopping and take vacations without people being afraid or staring at us as oddities or freaks. We've had various reactions to our son over the years, but mostly positive due to people "getting us" thanks to campaigns of autism awareness that advocacy groups have promoted in recent years.
One such time was when we were on a flight to Seattle last year and Lucas would kick the seat in front of him. The woman sitting in front initially was startled but then she took a look at him and turned around and didn't complain or acknowledge him at all throughout the whole flight. I was mortified that we would end up on Inside Edition for an episode of violence in the air but when the flight landed, she and her husband, a very large and heavily tattooed man, turned around and said "he did well. He did better than I thought" (I'm not sure how bad she was expecting things to be...). I had so much gratitude for her remark and felt an immense amount of relief. I think when she saw him it clicked for her that he wasn't being bratty but may have a cognitive disability and decided to show grace towards him. This is the power of what awareness and acceptance can do for people.
The statistics are that 1 in 63 children are diagnosed with autism and there is no known cure. Over 75% of couples with autistic children end up in divorce due to the overbearing stress of caregiving. Disabled people, especially those with cognitive disabilities, are the most discriminated subgroup of our country, if not the world.
Though greater awareness and acceptance, we hope to promote fair and appropriate access to educational opportunities, medical care and rights for access to housing, employment and the opportunity to praise and worship God at their own developmental level.
I've been asked how do I tie my understanding of a loving God with having a child with autism and was reminded of one of the miracle stories of Jesus.
In response to His disciples asking who has sinned for a blind man in John 9:3, Jesus responded, "No one sinned, it happened so that the works of God will be made known through him. " It's not just that Jesus healed his blindness but the work of God which Jesus refers to (I believe) is that people with disabilities can impact other people's hearts to be more loving, compassionate, and understanding . And that truly is the ultimate work of God. I know my son has changed my heart in so many positive ways and my efforts to advocate for his needs has also benefitted countless other individuals with his condition. In his behalf and others with his condition, we have set up the annual Lucas T Ahn Family scholarship to encourage talented undergraduate students interested in researching Dup15q Syndrome. I have participated in fundraisers and virtual walks to support advocacy organizations and hope to participate in the Orange County Marathon Festival in May. I have sat in on review boards of organizations that fund research grants. I would never have participated in any of these had my son not been in our lives and it is a testament to the truth of Jesus when he said "it is so that the glory of God would be made known. " Everyone is divinely created and has purpose and value in God’s economy. I pray you would also be blessed by their presence and come to see a glimpse of the glory of God through them.
Thank you.
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