In January of this year our daughter’s school was included in a list of 4 schools being considered for closure and I, being a cynic, thought that it would be a foregone conclusion despite public outcry and the obvious short-sightedness of the proposal.

In an attempt to balance out my normal response Tracy and I tried to be involved, albeit very modestly, in the efforts to help save her school. We wrote letters to the school board and the provincial government and attended public meetings to show our support and to try to demonstrate the fallacy of the proposed closure as a cost cutting measure.

To make a long story short, earlier this week the school district voted to keep open all the schools up for possible closure and will look elsewhere for budget cuts and cost savings. This has gone a long way to restore some of my belief in the value of public outcry and mobilization for a cause. As an intellectual exercise I have always been a firm supporter of the notion of standing up for a cause and making your voice heard, but my experience, both personal and from reading/watching other situations, has been that this is often not successful despite the complete and total lack of logic or rational consideration of the outcome. Most often I find that it is the benefit of the few that trumps the benefit of the greater good or what is ultimately the most rationale and logical decision. I think my cynicism is ultimately a direct result of my idealism that is rarely satisfied.

Tracy and I have recently joined a local community group that is working to help improve the situation for individuals with autism in our community. It is our hope that this group can help raise awareness of the challenges faced by individuals and families affected by ASD and we can help be a positive force for change in our local community, our schools, and ultimately our larger society. I hope my cynicism can continue to be on hiatus and our group can achieve some success, but given the dedicated, passionate people that are involved I have little doubt that we will be successful.