It is one of those moments, you will never forget! Like the day your child was born. On Friday, November 9th at 8:09 pm, I was sitting on my computer finishing up last minute home details before I left for a conference in Washington DC the next morning and I received THE email.
A notification popped up at the bottom corner, I saw that it was from Joey, our Recruiter at the University of the Ozarks. Earlier that week Matthew had submitted his application to the school. Of course, I immediately opened the email, (yes, Matthew uses my phone number and emails for everything, because mom stays connected all the time) the words rendered me speechless and instantly brought tears to my eyes, I was overcome with emotion, you have been accepted to University of the Ozarks. I went to my room and cried (happy tears) for the next 10 minutes before I was able to gain my composure. I then called Matthew out to the living room for him to read the words for himself.
His response after reading it was, “Cool” Really? Cool? That is all you have to say?? I am bawling over here and all you can say is cool? “Yup” I had to remind myself not everyone shows their emotion like I do… especially a person with autism.
As I said last month, they also don’t work on our timeline. See November’s Driver’s License Milestone blog post. Matthew graduated from high school in May 2014, over the last few years he has been going to the local community college to keep his academic skills up, unfortunately they don’t have the proper supports for students with autism. We found out about the University of the Ozarks a little over 5 years ago, when I checked into it I loved everything I read, then I found out the tuition costs and I all but gave up. Then 3 years ago, I found out that Vocational Rehabilitation supports individuals with disabilities in employment preparation and yes, that means training too, i.e.: college education, which of course looks different for everyone.
This has not been an easy road with our state Vocational Rehabilitation, but it has all come full circle this month. Their assistance along with many scholarships, Matthew John was able to commit to the University of Ozarks and will begin in August 2019. I could not be a prouder MOM in this moment.
People on the autism spectrum learn in different ways and at different speeds then others their age, however they are very intelligent and with a little specialized support can be just as successful. After much research and conversations with the University of the Ozarks and specifically the Jones Learning Center we felt that it is the best option for Matthew to successfully pursue his college degree. Not only will he work towards a bachelor’s degree but will have the opportunity to grow independently as a person and for momma’s sake he’ll only be 5 hours away from home. To learn more about the university click here.
After what will be 24 years, I look forward to being like many other parents when their children leave home for college and become an…empty nester! And I am sure, like those parents, it will be an emotional experience, but it’s an opportunity I never thought would happen. Now, what will I ever do with the new-found time and freedom I will be blessed with?
#AutismAcceptance… it will make the world a better place for all!
