Cha...Cha...Changes.

Lazy day at Autastic Towers today, the girls are away at a dance performance so Cassidy and myself have a boys weekend (well boys day and a bit) to look forward to.

No rushing to get set for college and acting as an (unpaid) personal assistant (thanks Social work) and no stressful rush hour journeys to contend with.

We've had a day of shopping (planned by Cass), Playstation (chosen by Cass), tidying (he offered) and finally a snack and relax whilst watching various episodes of the Sylvester McCoy era of Doctor Who (which is quite honestly THE best era of the classic show. Fact).

 

Doctor Who (back when it was good).

 

 

And best of all this fairly easy going week means that my Psoriasis doesn't feel like hundreds of tiny blades slashing my skin for the first time in about 6 months.

And I actually slept more than 5 hours last night.

 

You see, we've had a bizarre turn of events since Cass started college way back in August - he's now walking hands free (mostly), chatting more, getting himself dressed, wanting to actually leave the house for new things and making decisions for himself.

Which is pretty bloody brilliant, even if I do say so myself.

He's also gone from attending 3 days a week to mostly just 1 as he's decided he'd rather go shopping and spend his time on canal walks and the like on those days and it seems that since August he's realised that the whole world is open to him and he wants to explore it so we've taken the decision to not do a second term of college and let him explore the world. 

This massive change has given me the opportunity to share my thoughts not only on the SKILLS FOR LEARNING LIFE & WORK course at Glasgow Kelvin College (Duke Street campus) but the staff too and not just from the perspective of a parent of Autistic children but also from the point of view of an Autistic adult who has not only spent 20 plus years working with (and training staff members to work with) a vast number of special needs and vulnerable groups but also advocates for the Autistic community and has worked alongside organizations ranging from Scottish Autism, The Scottish Government and a myriad of universities across the UK and why I feel it is so important.

Yes I know regular readers here will know my background by now but it's always good to remind folk plus I think that my experience and skills have given my a unique insight into the daily workings of the course and the college in general.

Plus I like repetition, so sue me.

Regular readers will know that this insight is, in part, thanks to Glasgow's Social Work/Social Services sector which due to a mix incompetence and lack of planning, structure, understanding of it's role (take your pick) meant that although Cassidy had been flagged as needing full-time support to attend college - nothing was actually put in place meaning that I was needed to attend alongside Cassidy on a daily basis which, as I mentioned, has given me a real insight into how the staff not only deliver the course but how they interact with students on a daily basis.

And I can safely say that in my years of working with/advocating for groups I have never met a more dedicated, professional and empathic group of people.

Their genuine understanding of Autism and the needs of an Autistic student (and in some cases carer) has meant that they were able to tailor the course to suit Cassidy whilst staying within the course remit, challenges were met with discussions and solutions not a rigid adherence to 'the rules' and most importantly Cassidy (and the rest of the students) were treated as human beings, not symptoms or problems to be hammered into place.

This may come as an unpleasant surprise but this is far from the norm.

 

A visualization of exploring the world yesterday.

 

In the 10 months Cassidy attended college I've had the pleasure of watching him grow, not only as a young adult but seeing him building his confidence but seeing the leap in his communication and social skills too, going from a teenager who needed his hand held whilst traveling (in the street and on public transport) to stop him 'escaping' to a young man happy to walk alongside you. 

He's chatting more, getting himself dressed and wanting to actually leave the house to try new things and making decisions on everything from new clothes to new places to visit for himself.

And all this is to do with his experience of college and his interactions with the staff there.

I love this place and so should you.

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, over the last few months he's been making decisions for himself - from wanting to go shopping with Mom (choosing and scanning the items as he goes) to asking to visit museums or go on nature walks  it seems that since August he's realized that the whole world is open to him and he wants to explore it.

On paper this may look like the course in question has failed to engage Cassidy -  - and to those in positions of authority with a distinct (and frankly terrifying lack of imagination or empathy) that think attendance and grades are the be all and end all (yes, such outdated, stuffy and let's be honest ableist ideas still exist) I can say only this - get off your comfy chair, get out of your stuffy office and go interact with these students, see the life changing differences this course - and your staff - make.

See these students as people, not just numbers on a spreadsheet to justify your wage.

The government as a whole has been gutting SEN provision across the board now for years and certain people in power in further education seem to have gleefully grabbed this budget-cutting baton with both hands but hopefully some will see beyond the meaningless targets and tick boxes and see the real differences places like Kelvin can make.

And if you still feel cutting these incredibly important courses is something you still want to do then at least be honest with yourself.

You're not doing it to save money or 'streamline' your service.

You're doing it because you don't care.

I just hope you can sleep at night knowing the truth.