SAN ANGELO, Texas — April is nationally recognized as Autism Awareness Month, a time period where there is increased education and support for this particular developmental disorder.
At 9 a.m. April 29, the Autism Alliance of the Concho Valley is hosting its annual "Walk for Autism" event at the Bill Aylor Sr. Memorial RiverStage, 16 E. Ave. A.
This event was put in place to help connect San Angelo families with others who can relate to them.
"It is such a great community building experience and it is such a great, just a day to celebrate all of our differences and a day to celebrate our kids and what makes them different and what makes everybody unique," AACV founder Shanna Paine said. "And to kind of honor those differences and connect with other families."
So far, a record number of more than 30 teams have registered online for the event with $31,000 in donations.
Paine said the total goal is $40,000 and donations can be made ahead of time or during the walk itself.
Attendees will be met with resource booths like ADA Therapy and West Texas Rehab as well as activities including a bounce house, a llama and more.
At approximately 9:45 a.m., the top fundraisers and t-shirt contest winners will be announced and then the 1-mile walk will officially begin.
For Payne, the event isn't just about autism awareness but also about acceptance.
"Autism acceptance is understanding that not everybody is gonna look and act and interact in the way that we do," she said. "We wanna make sure that all of the community activities and community events are inclusive so we try to find ways to accommodate that...,"
Limiting bright lights, giving warnings and providing sensory friendly spaces are just some of the ways to help those with autism feel more comfortable in new and unfamiliar areas.
The walk will be inclusive and understanding of a wide variety of needs, given that autism itself is a spectrum.
"To see those kids in real life just smiling and having the best fun, just to be kids and be themselves, it takes a lot of the stigma and the fear away from that," Payne said.
Go to aacv-autism for more information.
