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“Thank you so much for providing us with this amazing opportunity! I am a solo parent of an amazing kiddo who is on the autism spectrum. We spend our days focused on coping skills, safety, and daily living tasks. Autism doesn’t take a break for vacation, and transitions are difficult for my son. We have attempted vacations before, which turn into a job in themselves. Requesting accommodations, explaining autism, and answering questions for people who have a certain perception of autism, gets tiring. Autism can be invisible, so sometimes we are judged when we ask for accommodations. 

Now that my son is 12, he realizes that he is different. He would rather not attempt a vacation at all than to risk feeling unsafe in an unfamiliar place, or to be embarrassed. The last time we took a short trip we spent our entire time in the hotel room due to meltdowns, rather than sight-seeing and experiencing the trip as we had intended. It was draining and we couldn’t wait for it to be over. 

I look forward to being on a trip where my son isn’t isolated because of his autism. I love my family, but they often do not understand. It will be refreshing to have people there who understand and can help advocate on our behalf. I am in tears writing this because, finally, this feels like this may be a REAL vacation for us. This is really a dream come true. Also, autism is expensive, especially for a single parent. We would not be able to afford a trip or accommodations like this without the grant from the foundation.”