Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 4

EDITORIAL INSIGHTS

A JOURNEY WITHOUT A MAP
In the world of autism, community and innovation must go hand in hand.

E

ight years ago this October, doctors confirmed that my son, Sam, is on the autism
spectrum. Coming just a few weeks after we celebrated Sam's sixth birthday, it was
news that my wife and I had long suspected and feared, ending months of uncertainty
while raising an infinite number of concerns that we had not yet summoned the
courage to contemplate. Where would he go to school? What support would he need?
And most of all, what would his future look like after his schooldays were over?
We discovered, as every affected family must, that autism comes with no blueprint.
Its cause remains unknown; its incidence spiked in recent years (to as high as 1 in every
68 school-aged children, according to the CDC) for reasons that also elude us; and its
progression, and therefore prognosis, is highly unpredictable. Over time, the parents'
search for definitive answers wanes, replaced by a stream of murky decisions and the
hope of bettering the odds for their child's independence and happiness later in life.
In this month's Print Craft column, Assistant Editor Kelsey Johnson tells the story of
a business born from one woman's hope to ensure a successful future for her autistic
son. The company she founded, Spectrum Designs, started humbly with just one DTG
machine and has grown into a thriving enterprise, creating job opportunities for many
disabled individuals in its local community while establishing an adaptable business
model that can be easily applied to other industries.
We added Print Craft last year to call attention to the growing legion of young people
who have discovered printing in their quest to become "makers," but we're pleased to
extend the column to those who are making a difference. We're seeing more instances
of specialty printing being leveraged for philanthropic purposes, and they are stories
that deserve to be heard.
The weekend after Sam was diagnosed, I sent a letter to my immediate family,
asking them to keep the news on a need-to-know basis. I was reluctant to share the
information with colleagues and even close friends for years. As time went by and I
became more open to discussing it, I discovered that a number of important people in
my life also had autistic children nearing adulthood and they were wrestling in silence
with the same issues as me. I came to realize that where autism is concerned, everyone
is on a need-to-know basis.
Sam is 13 now, attending a wonderful school for high-functioning
kids on the spectrum. He's whip-smart and wildly creative, with
talents in music and writing that regularly astound us. We've
been amazed by many of the other students at his school, not
because of their disabilities but because of their individuality
and the unique interests they pursue. Their stories deserve -
no, demand - to be shared. The parents who love these kids
must be willing to talk, and the people whose lives have been
untouched by the autism spectrum must listen. Because these
children will be adults soon, and our society must learn to
embrace them.

www.screenweb.com

EDITORIAL
Steve Duccilli
Senior Vice President of Content
steve.duccilli@stmediagroup.com
Kiersten Wones
Associate Editor
kiersten.wones@stmediagroup.com
Kelsey Johnson
Assistant Editor
kelsey.johnson@stmediagroup.com
Adrienne Palmer
Contributing Editor
adrienne.palmer@stmediagroup.com
Kelly Farrar
Art Director
kelly.farrar@stmediagroup.com
Barbara Montgomery
Contributing Writer
Linda Volz
Production Coordinator
linda.volz@stmediagroup.com
SALES
Senior Vice President/Group Publisher
Murray Kasmenn
murray.kasmenn@stmediagroup.com
770-578-2577
Business Development Managers
Lou Arneberg - East and Midwest US,
Eastern Canada
lou.arneberg@stmediagroup.com
800-654-5169

Jim Karwowski - West and South US,
Western Canada, Europe, Asia
jim.karwowski@stmediagroup.com
630-474-4038
Karen Jones - NC, SC, GA, Classifieds
karen.jones@stmediagroup.com
843-697-3802
Tedd Swormstedt
President
Christine Baloga
Audience Development Manager
Kari Freudenberger
Director of Online Media
Customer Services
Screen Printing Subscription Services
P.O. Box 3060, Northbrook, IL 60065
P: 847-504-8166/877-494-0727
F: 847-763-9030 E: SP@omeda.com

STEVE DUCCILLI, ASDPT

4

SCREENPRINTING

Free Subscription
www.screenweb.com/subscribe
Renewals/Address Changes
www.screenweb.com/renew
http://www.screenweb.com http://www.screenweb.com/subscribe http://www.screenweb.com/renew
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Screen Printing - June/July 2017
