I know I am a day late on my Black Fact post. I had a friend in town and I just enjoyed spending time and hanging out with her. I have made plenty of commitments to myself and so far, I am doing a terrible job of keeping them. These weekly Black Facts, is one that I have to keep. I can’t be a complete disgrace!
Holly Robinson Peete does not have autism, but her first born son Rodney Peete, Jr. does. Rodney’s diagnosis came at a time when autism awareness wasn’t really discussed and people were unclear of the limits or abilities of children with autism. Being new parents to a set of twins, one twin having a medical diagnosis most people weren’t even aware of, had to be hard. The Peetes may not have known how to handle the diagnosis, but they did not let the unknown stop them from working to create the best life for their son.
Peete started a foundation called HollyRod in 1997 with her husband, Rodney Peete, to help advocate and offer care for people and families affected by Parkinson’s disease. Peete’s dad, Matthew Robinson, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 45. Once their son was diagnosised with autism at the age of 3, the Peetes expanded their mission to include resources for autism awareness and care. Now, HollyRod Foundation offers a sensory room, family study area, vocational training and job placement at RJ’s Place. RJ’s place, named after their son with autism, also has calming lighting as not to agitate individuals with autism.
Holly Robinson Peete says, “I wouldn’t change my son for the world, but I would change the world for my son.” I believe with her family’s foundation, HollyRod, that she is doing just that. Peete has written a couple of books on autism with her children, My Brother Charlie and Same but Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express . Both books are fiction, but uses experiences from Ryan, RJ’s twin sister, and RJ’s life. Her husband, Rodney, shared his perspective of a father handling his son’s autism diagnosis in the book, Not My Boy!: A Father, A Son, and One Family’s Journey with Autism.
You can find more information about HollyRod Foundation at this link,
Here is an honorable mention. American Airlines has a program called “It’s Cool To Fly American Airlines”, that has practice flights for children with autism or other disabilities. The program has the children and their families go through ticketing, security check, onboarding and unloading. The airplane goes up and down the runway excelerating and slowing down. Now, this program should be offered by every airline. How thoughtful of American Airlines. The program started in 2014, has been inactive the past 2 years due to covid-19, but was reinstated this year. The program is only offered once a year at select airports and does have a waiting list. For the life of me, I could not find a website for families to get on the waiting list. I recommend giving American Airlines a call if it is of interest to you.
Thank you for you patience with my delayed post. I hope this information may be of some help to you or someone you may know who is affected by autism. Please feel free to share it with them. Stay well and whole. Much Love 💙🧩
