The greatest crime is the inaction of a capable man.

This you tube segment: 'Autistic Child Defended in Cafe' was posted on Facebook by Sue Larkey. I was heartened by the bystanders standing up for the family who were having difficulties with their autistic child. This was a set up and the family were actors as was the man who was harassing the family. However, this scenario is similar to what my family experiences when we are out in public with Brandon.
To date, we have not experienced anyone advocating on our behalf; but rather people enduring because they can see the difficulties we are experiencing.
The last episode occured down at Eastern Beach. Terry was purchasing afternoon tea for us and on his return to our table, there was Brandon standing drinking from a glass of lemon squash, at the same time a squeal came from a lady who yelled, 'what the...'. He had been dancing to the music and obviously needed a drink, so seeing the glass of refreshment on a nearby table he proceeded to go up and take it.
We apologised profusely and the lady and her husband said not to worry about it and Terry went to the bar to replace her lost drink.
When we were about to leave, I think Brandon wanted to share his tiny teddies with this lady since he had pinched her drink and proceeded to throw his bag of tiny teddies right at the back of her head. Terry and I pretended not to see and the husband came up to us to return the package and we all laughed about the situation.
This you tube segment gives me hope that the more children with autism or disabilities who access public venues will eventually lead to greater tolerance, patience and understanding. I hope more bystanders will speak up for the children and their families finding themselves in challenging circumstances in public. I hope and pray that one day Brandon will be able to walk in public without the stares and comments.