Jersey City Raises Flag for National Autism Acceptance Month

In honor of National Autism Acceptance Month, Jersey City raised its Autism Acceptance Flag on April 2nd in a ceremony outside City Hall. Presented by The Whole Spectrum Autism Foundation and Smile Preschool and Nursery, the city’s flag-raising coincided with World Autism Awareness Day.

The ceremony was attended by Whole Spectrum Autism’s founder, Sherry Singh, her husband Surinder, and their daughter Jasmine. Several local officials, including Whole Spectrum Autism’s Executive Director Rachel Sieg and Jersey City Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, also attended.

As many children and adults living with autism continue to be judged and discriminated against by others, the foundation chose to raise the flag to promote inclusivity and to show these struggling families that they are valued and accepted. Best summed up by Rachel Sieg, their goal was to have people around the world understand that “it’s autism acceptance, not autism awareness.”

After the flag was raised, Sherry sat down for an interview to discuss her goals and motives for promoting autism acceptance with this ceremony. What started as a one-on-one interview quickly evolved into a tearful and heartfelt discussion with Sherry, her family, and their colleagues about how autism has impacted their lives.

Having raised a 37-year-old son with severe autism, Sherry was open about the heartbreaking challenges she faced as a mother when there were no resources to aid her and her family (the word “autism” didn’t even exist back then). “As time go by, it became so difficult because the world, and not only the world, but family members, friends did not accept autism because nobody knew what it was,” said Sherry.

As a result, Sherry discussed how, without the proper support or education, struggling parents like herself resorted to giving up their autistic children or committing suicide. Sherry herself did not hold back from expressing the sadness and frustration she’d built up after the many battles she and her family had faced over the years.

Sherry even admitted that, as she tried to raise her son in a world that neither understood nor accepted autism, there were times when she didn’t feel like a good mother. “I had no one to talk to. I had nowhere to turn. I had nothing. My walls were all closing in on me, and I didn’t know what to do and how to help my child. I felt like a hopeless mother,” she said.

However, 28 years ago, when her life seemed bleak and she was ready to give up, Sherry claims God sent her an angel in the form of her son Ravi. After he crawled into her bed and fell asleep one night, Sherry looked at him, and he gave her “the most beautiful smile.” That smile became the inspiration for her work in spreading autism acceptance, giving her the courage and strength to turn her life around. “That’s the day I decided that if I don’t make it, if I don’t stand up and fight for his rights… who is he gonna have to fight for him?” she stated.

Today, Sherry is no longer afraid to share her story and express her and her family’s hardships, inspiring similar families to do the same and reach out for support. To further raise awareness and acceptance of autism, Sherry and her colleagues plan to hold more free events for autistic people and their families to get together, have fun, stay active, and connect with each other. Such events include the annual Light the Night Blue gala on April 5th in Jersey City.

Thanks to these social gatherings, five to six thousand families from across New Jersey and New York have come forward and registered with Whole Spectrum Autism. Amongst those connections is Quinn Johnson, a Jersey City resident, filmmaker, and divorced parent committed to raising his 16-year-old autistic son. “I have to do this not only for me, I have to do it for my son… and it’s extremely important,” said Johnson. “I’ve made that decision. I made that choice.”

Jersey City’s flag raising is a significant step towards greater understanding and acceptance of autism. Councilwoman Prinz-Arey stressed the importance of people sharing their experiences with autism and governments using their platform to “amplify” how common these struggles truly are to create a more inclusive society. “When people know it’s okay to talk about [autism], they keep talking about it, and that grows that conversation,” she said.

Though she and her team have worked with and provided support for thousands of families in the past nine years, Sherry admits her lingering doubts about whether or not people with autism are being accepted because of her work. “I feel like I’m hitting a brick wall,” she said. “I am because I’m putting a lot of my own money into the non-profit. I’m begging people to help.”

Despite the potholes Sherry and her family have hit, she remains hopeful and continues to pave the way for many other families like hers toward futures filled with smiles. “For me, a smile means the world,” said Sherry, “and a smile can save someone’s life.”