Autism Awareness Month...and why we are doing what we are doing.

Hello! I'm posting early today!

If you know me personally, then it won't be a shock to you if I speak my mind...tell you what I really think and feel-so, here goes.

I've been inspired...and I've been reading and researching.

When we first began this journey...not starting our business...but this venture called Home Grown Apps, I wasn't sold. I'm not a technology person. I hate computers...and I love them all at the same time. The iPad seemed silly to me...but it was the hot new thing, so I tried it. I still don't care for it...but there are people who do...children with autism...and they are more important than my old fuddy duddy self.

Don't get me wrong. We didn't start making apps because we knew anything about autism. We started because we wanted our own business...and we wanted to tell good stories and we wanted to make money and we wanted to help people with the money we made...really. It's a completely selfish thing...because when I do it...it makes me feel soooo good!

Anyway, I thought we could help kids by teaching them moral lessons like how it isn't right to steal or lie or be prideful, but I had no idea that we could actually impact the way a child behaves as he/she plays the game or reads our book. It has been said that the iPad is a miracle device for
kids with autism...and I'm now beginning to believe it.

There's another group of kids I want to help too. The poor children in our public schools.

If you don't know...I am from a little Ohio town by the name of Washington Court House. I'm a proud Miami Trace Panther High School alum...but my school is falling behind. I'm not sure how we fare when it comes to how many graduates attend college...or what's our average SAT score, but I do know a lot of kids qualify for free lunch-a lot. My best friend, Christy, is a special education teacher there at MTP and she knows first hand that America's public schools need money, more staff, etc. Oh, and I think she is one of the best things that ever happened to my old school...all bias aside.

I don't want one child to feel as if he/she isn't worthy of love, attention and a good education. I want every kid to have every opportunity the rich kids are afforded. Maybe that's a dream...but that's what I want. I want them all to be learning and working on an iPad...if the educational higher ups deem it the most appropriate way to teach.

Hopefully, we can all work together to give everyone a fair shake, whether it be the poor, those living with some sort of special need or just an old fuddy duddy like me who doesn't want to learn how to use a new piece of technology.