Day 363

For the rest of the project I'm going to have a few people in
Kelt's life write guest posts. This entry is by our sister Kenzi.

I thought my dad was joking when he told me I was going to be Kelton's new aid at Whatcom Community College. I realized that he was being serious after attending orientation. As a recent Washington State University graduate, I was not exactly thrilled with the idea of spending my first year in the real world at community college.

It was a difficult process finding classes and programs that would work best for Kelt. After hours of research, tests, phone calls and meetings, my family realized that he would need an aid to be successful. We went back and forth between my mom and I, but finally decided it would seem more normal if I was the aid rather then his Mommy!

The first day of school Kelt introduced me as his personal secretary; last week he announced during math class that my breath smelled like grass; and in weight training he continues to tell everyone that I'm weak and can only do one pull-up. Being his personal secretary and sister can be unpredictable and nerve-racking, making it hard to decipher my role (sister or aid). Through this experience I have realized more then ever that I need to let him be himself. It’s important that people accept him for who he is.

If you were to ask Kelt about college, he would tell you that he's having fun and loves seeing people he knows. I'm happy that I'm helping my family and that Kelt gets to experience college. We've been going to Whatcom for four weeks and each day continues to be exciting. Wish us luck for the rest of the quarter!

Day 362

Prom 2010

Tacoma Dome, state tournament, 2011

For the rest of the project I'm going to have a few people in
Kelt's life write guest posts. This entry is by our brother Camden.

Growing up with Kelton gave me a different perspective on life. Early on I realized that I had opportunities that he never would, no matter how hard he tried, which made me work harder in sports and school to make up for everything that he would never get to do.

I loved having Kelt in high school, even though it meant watching him on sport trips, mediating school problems, and helping him with homework. Sometimes I didn't get to experience the same things as other kids; while my friends were drinking before prom, I was watching Kelt to make sure he was acting the right way and having a good time.

I love all of his stories, even though sometimes they drive me crazy. Overall he makes me laugh more than anyone I know. My friends liked having him in school because he had a great sense of humor. There weren't too many times that I had to stand up for him because most people were understanding and enjoyed his company. There were a few times that I had to say something, and when I did, my intentions were clear. Those people soon realized that he deserved the same treatment as everyone else.

I also felt like he looked up to me when it came to sports and grades, so I wanted to try as hard as I possibly could. I once said, "I would give up my 3rd place state wrestling medal for Kelt if it meant that he could compete in the state tournament." Beyond everyone's expectations, he ended up going to state and proved that anyone can accomplish their dreams if they're determined. He never made me feel left out. If anything he's helped me connect with a larger group of people and made me appreciate every little thing. I love my brother and will always be there for him. Kelton is the most inspiring, fun, and random person that I know and he will do great things, even though he was given these struggles.

Day 361

For the rest of the project I'm going to have a few people in
Kelt's life write guest posts. This entry is by my friend Zach.

About half a year ago Ainsley and Kenzi introduced me to Kelton. Before then I only knew a handful of things about him. Throughout the years I've learned from their stories that Kelt was hilarious, social, caring, easy to love, and easy to be loved by. Still having little knowledge of autism at the time, I had no idea how meeting him was going to turn out. All bets were off!

Within a minute of meeting Kelt he gave me the nickname of Joey, which has stuck ever since. He says I look a lot like one of his high school friends with the name... that's right, JOOOOEEEY! The name grew on me fast. It actually catches me off guard when he calls me by my real name.

Since that day Kelt has been nothing less than a good friend. He can bring a smile to my face even when it's not intentional. His positive outlook and attitude is refreshing every time I see him. Although our friendship is fairly new, I'm excited to have the opportunity to learn more about him and how he operates in years to come.

Thanks Kelt!

Day 360

Justin and his family: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Justin with girlfriend Paloma: Andrea Morales/The New York Times

Justin working at Gencarelli's Bakery in Bloomfield, NJ.
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Justin's composition book: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Justin Canha: Mother and Child 3

I recently read the article Autistic and Seeking a Place in an Adult World in the New York Times. Justin Canha, a 22-year-old artist from NJ, has successfully found work, friends, and a girlfriend despite his struggles with autism. Through his family and transition teacher, Kate Stanton-Paule, he’s developed social, vocational, and sensory strategies to cope with the overwhelming rules of our society.

Canha started drawing as a young child as a form of communication. From there he started filling his composition books with miniature cartoon characters and used art to complete school assignments. In 2008 the Ricco Maresca Gallery in NYC sold 12 of his paintings at the Outsider Art Fair, some for as much as $4,000! With such early success, his family started thinking about a future in art. After his senior year, he started the 18-21 transition curriculum at Montclair High, which was a progressive post-secondary program that emphasized community interaction. He volunteered at a library, animal shelter, and elementary school and eventually got an internship at an animation studio, Nightstand Creations. After the internship he started working at a bakery and currently works in an art store. He hasn’t become a famous animator-illustrator yet, but continues to draw and paint until he reaches that goal.

Day 359

Day 358

"I was in 3rd grade when 9/11 happened. My Mom was sad that day. I was watching Ed, Edd n Eddy in the morning when I found out. That day was really important for me because that's when I learned that people could die." -Kelt

Day 357

For the rest of the project I'm going to have a few people in Kelt's life

write guest posts. This entry is by our Mom about Kelt's first day of college.

Today Kelton was tested in math and English at Whatcom Community College through the Adult Basic Education Program. The instructors told him that no one fails; the school just wanted to determine his academic level, but I knew that he had to have a minimum score to be accepted into the program. He ended up barely meeting the requirements and passed at the lowest level.

Before the test I felt negative about Kelton attending the community college because I didn't think it was the best way for us to use our time. My husband was being the positive one, which is a role reversal for us. I felt less anxious after Kelton passed the test, we went through orientation, registered for his two classes, and paid our $25 quarter fee. Once this process was over I realized that my concerns came from the fear that he wouldn't meet the course requirements and be disappointed that he couldn't take any academic courses at the college. Even though these classes aren't for credit, he doesn't know that and will feel like he's in college.

So our new adventure with Kelton begins and hopefully it's a positive one. There are always obstacles we have to overcome.

Day 356

For the rest of the project I'm going to have a few

people in Kelt's life write guest posts. This entry is by our grandma.

I'm Kelton’s grandmother and would like to add a little story to his blog.

Kelton loves history – any history, whether it be famous people, wars, or just history in general. Could he be on Jeopardy? I think so. He's smart! To help himself with history he has developed a special way to learn the facts that interest him. He reads each paragraph in his books and rewrites them in a journal. Yes, he rewrites them! This takes many hours and lots of patience by his parents and siblings because he asks numerous questions about the words he doesn’t understand. Also, he's not satisfied with just any answer. It may take several inquiries before he gets the answer he thinks is suitable. He uses the computer dictionary, but is not satisfied with just any answer because he wants to understand what he's reading. I don’t know if there's a word that fully describes his passion for history, but to give you an idea, he has rewritten 16 journals of history facts.

Kelton would like to be a historian someday. Webster describes a historian as “a student or writer of history, one that produces a scholarly synthesis.” Of course I'm bias, but I think he's already a historian and will continue to write and improve. He's attending community college and I hope that his studies will include more history and, yes, he will get an A in the course!

We love you Kelton,

Grandma and Grandpa

Day 355

Found this in the archives. Kelt wrote this letter to our sister Kenzi when he was 9.

Day 354

Kelt also got this keychain from his bowling teammate that
participated in the Special Olympic Summer Games in Athens!

Mr. Burns: blind contour drawing of 1/163 of Kelt's bobble heads.

These drawings are blind except when I briefly look at the paper to set the pen. This series represents Kelt's uninhibited drawing style and enhanced visual skills. To view more, click the bobble head label to the right.

Day 353

Special Olympics bowling recently started and one of Kelt's teammates, who got

to participate in the World Summer Games in Athens, brought this back for him!

Day 352

For the rest of the project I'm going to have a few people in Kelt's
life write guest posts. This entry is from one of his best friends, Sean.

Through my life there have been many people, places, and events that have made me who I am and will continue for the rest of my life. In 18 years two things have been the foundation of who I am today, sports and being friends with Kelton.

Kelton has been my best friend since kindergarten and we have had so many great memories together. The thing about Kelton is that he has autism. Some people may think it's weird hanging out with an autistic kid after school and being friends with him, but he has made me who I am today in a huge way. He shows me that no matter what I do in life, there will always be a good thing happening and to keep my head up no matter what happens. He brings a smile to my face every time I see him even if I'm in a bad mood. He'll crack a joke to make me laugh; he'll try to comfort me, or just say hi to make me smile. I helped with Special Olympics bowling this year and he was one of the athletes. I have never seen someone so happy participating in an event until I watched him bowl. There were a few times that he didn't hit any pins and stomped his feet and grunted like he was mad, but seconds later he walked back to his ball, smiled and said, "Watch Sean, I'll hit all the pins down next time." No matter what, he finds joy in everything that he does, which has rubbed off on me, making me the person I am today. I don't know what I'd be like if Kelton wasn't in my life.

Day 351

Day 350

A couple of years ago I did a project with 30 middle school students with disabilities. They were asked to draw/write about one of their goals, short or long term, on a paper leaf, which were hung on a tree at WSU. I wanted to show a few responses because I think they're encouraging and/or revealing, such as the last one. A 13-year-old boy shouldn't be concerned about getting through his day. It made me wonder if these kids were ever asked this question and encouraged to pursue their goals or if their label had already tainted their confidence and future...

Day 349

Day 348

I had Kelt do this video for me a couple of years ago for a school project...