Volunteering for a TDF Relaxed Performance (Autism-friendly) performance of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show
On Sunday morning, November 17th, I volunteered for the TDF Relaxed Performance (Autism-friendly) performance of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show. It was the very first performance offered by the Music Hall for this year's holiday season. It commenced at 9:00 a.m., and we had to arrive at 7:30 to get prepped for volunteering! It is always lovely to see Lisa Carling, the Director of the TDF Accessibility Program. The Autism Friendly Performance (AFP) "creates a judgment-free environment for people with autism or other developmental or cognitive disabilities. TDF's mission is to remove barriers to access for audiences of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities." Isn't that a wonderful mission to work to accomplish?
For this wonderful organization, I volunteer as often as I can. My friend, Dr. Becca Yure, invited me to volunteer. She's TDF's lead autism consultant. And I'm so glad that she did. While I've been in theatre most of my life, I can occasionally coast along in my little bubble. That's not always bad, but I can miss many things that way.
I have not personally known families who have autistic children. When I was growing up, it was rarely diagnosed, and if it was, it fell under "special education." But volunteering has opened my eyes to the lives of the people who do. Not knowing what causes autism, I looked it up: "Changes in certain genes or your genome increase the risk that a child will develop autism." However, it goes on to say that "increased risk is not the same as a cause. For example, some gene changes associated with autism can also be found in people who don't have the disorder. Similarly, not everyone exposed to an environmental risk factor for autism will develop the disorder. In fact, most will not."
In volunteering, I witness people who live with varying degrees of autism. It is also interesting to see a family come to one of the events at which I volunteer with only one of several children having the disorder. For some families, a child having the disorder will seemingly have it to only a small degree as evidenced by the child's behavior. Some are more highly impacted by autism. But what is lovely about each event is that families come to see a show in a non-judgmental environment, and that is one of the loveliest things about TDF's relaxed performances (Autism-friendly).
Sometimes, autistic children will have a difficult time for a few moments or minutes at an event. As a volunteer, I have no idea how regular an occurrence this may be at home. Maybe their being in an unfamiliar environment triggers an enhanced emotional response. But then I see how the parents have learned to calm the children, and often, once the children no longer feel anxious, they're able to enjoy the show they're seeing to whatever degree they are able. But the most important thing that I've learned from volunteering is that each child is doing his/her very best each and every moment. And each family of an autistic child is also doing its best each and every moment. Volunteering has taught me the grace of each and every moment of life--and helped me not take moments for granted. It has also helped me redefine normal--as in--there is really no such thing as normal other than when normal means "what someone is used to" rather than a "state of being."
Theater has always fascinated me because of the interactive nature of it. It doesn't thrive in a cocoon--it needs an audience. And how lovely to see theatrical performances become available for absolutely everyone, and that everyone can enjoy the performance in his/her own way. Who knows what an autistic child takes away from a performance, but how thoughtful and inclusive it is that an autistic child can have the experience thanks to Lisa Carling, Dr. Becca Yure and TDF.
ITF's Lead Autism Consultant Becca Yuré
