TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — People will experience the world in different ways, that holds true for those living with Autism.
To help in that effort, Leroy Collins Public Library will host an Autism and Neurodiversity Resource Fair.
Connecting families with financial resources, therapy, and understanding diagnoses on the spectrum. The library’s staff wanted to offer more services to the autism community.
Library Services Coordinator Christine Earp says that this was a personal mission of hers.
Christine Earp says, “Well I have an autistic son and it was the difficulty in accessing both a diagnoses and resources and understanding and all that it in tales with someone with high functioning autism in my son’s case.”
She felt it was her duty to bring together a resource for families who may be struggling with their own situations like children who suffer from sensory overload, anxiety, and who may have limited speech. After a year of planning the resource fair has come into fruition.
With 15 organizations attending Christine hopes they will equip families with the information they need.
“To connect with some of these organizations so that they can have an easier time of it and hopefully find out about some things that they didn’t even know Tallahassee has to offer," says Christine Earp.
The community is also optimistic about the fair’s possible impact. Nijah Proctor is the 22-year-old daughter of store owner Betty Proctor. She was diagnosed with autism at 5 years old. She believes the resource fair is a great way for everyone to gain more understanding about individuals on the spectrum.
“I think that I might see people just, you know, gain more information about, you know, people on the autism spectrum,” says Nijah Proctor.
The fair is April 30th from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Leroy Collins Public Library.
