One of my students told me today that I should run for office. "Why?" I asked. He replied, "Because you are one of the most convincing people I know." I thought about it for a second and then told my class that I know what my platform would be.......
More Family Restrooms everywhere!
Nate, Noah, Katie (Noah's staff), and I were at the zoo yesterday. Nate had to use the restroom. I couldn't find a family restroom, only a men's or women's. I even asked an employee.... She couldn't tell me where one was located.
This happens a lot. If I take Nate out without a male staff member, we face the bathroom dilemma. Nate is 15. He is too big to take into the women's restroom. However, I am not comfortable letting him go into the men's restroom alone. He doesn't talk. He couldn't tell me if anything inappropriate happened.
So, I take him with me into the women's restroom and try to ignore all the stares. I try to speak to Nate while we are in the restroom. I figure that if they hear me talking to Nate, they will understand that he is developmentally delayed and won't think he's a pervert. They don't realize that while it is uncomfortable for them, it's also uncomfortable for us. I don't want strangers to know that Nate still needs help in the bathroom. Just because he has autism does not mean he doesn't have a right to privacy or his dignity.
