Owingsville hosts its annual walk to promote local autism acceptance
BATH COUNTY, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Throughout the town of Owingsville, signs are going up this month in recognition of Autism Awareness Month and a push for something more: acceptance.
The town is hosting its annual Autism Acceptance Walk Wednesday night at Bath County High School from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
According to the World Health Organization, as of 2021, one out of every 127 people in the world had autism.
Kassandra Hamilton, co-executive of the Autism Acceptance Council, is helping bring that mission of acceptance to life through the annual walk in Owingsville.
“You have to be aware of autism because it’s so prevalent in today’s society,” Hamilton said.
For Bath County parent Kristen Collins, this walk is more than an event; it is a statement for her children.
“They are not different. They are unique,” Collins said. “There is all different kinds of faces with autism. They are amazing people. Just like my children.”
Collins said her 9-year-old daughter Heidi and 13-year-old son Andrew each experience autism in their own way.
“They are both different. My daughter Heidi is outgoing and friendly, but several sensory issues. While my son is the opposite. He like to keep to himself,” Collins said.
Collins said Andrew is sensitive to loud noises in public places. But instead of dreading it, Collins is showing her son the bright side.
“Trying to work through with him. Calm him down if he doesn’t want to go. We try to explain the positives of going through it, instead of the negatives,” Collins said.
For Heidi, going out is not the challenge; it is the classroom.
“(The) autism that she has can be a challenge especially with her learning disabilities. Being able to be at her reading level with other children. That’s sometimes a struggle,” Collins said.
It is stories like the Collins family that the Autism Acceptance Walk was built around.
“What we want to see more than anything is acceptance. We know the adversity they have to overcome on a day to day basis,” Hamilton said.
Whether that be with sounds, food, or learning, the walk will bring the community together for a cause that impacts families across the region. For the Collins family and many others in Bath County, that acceptance starts here.
