Letter from Hope Tian, Tian Huiping

April 2nd, 2008

We are here for a world without LONELINESS*

For the first “World Autism Day”

Today in the morning I found greetings from all over the world:“Happy Autism Day!”

Yes, I am very happy, because today is the first World Autism Day. I am very happy, because I and my 22 years old autistic son Taotao are enjoying our quiet, peaceful life. I am very happy, because Stars & Rain has celebrated her 15th birthday and is now on a good start of the second 3-year Strategy plan with full of confidence. I am very happy, because there are more and more organizations serving children with autism in China… I am very happy, because I believed I would not be able to be happy!

I am grateful for our kids with autism, they are telling us what is the value of the life, what is the equal, what is the dignity, what is respect, what is civilization in a world!

I am grateful for all people who have been helping us, their actions and deeds make us more aware of a world with sunshine, love and hope!

My English name is HOPE. I have got a new life since I have got this name from a friend — never give up having hope for the life, for the future and for this world!

We are the one who really understand the meaning of hope, because we were sank in a deep despair. We are the one who truly realize the sense of luck, because we believed that we are the most unlucky people.

At this special moment, I am thinking badly my lovely autistic son Taotao. You are the angel of this world! Mom’s only lifelong career is: fulfill the mission God sent you to this world tell everybody, people with autism is a part of us!!!

* Autism is translated in Chinese: disease of loneliness!

Hope Tian/Tian Huiping

2008.4.2.

Beijing

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Conference Series Speaker Update

April 2nd, 2008

We are proud to announce that the official list of speakers for the 2008 Heartspring Conference Series has been compiled. We will be hosting some of the biggest names in the World of autism this year and are delighted that each of them has agreed to come to Heartspring to impart their expertise in Autism. We are currently gearing up for Dr. Richard Simpson’s visit on the 25th of April. He will be discussing “Current and Emerging Practices for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder”. As promised, we will be launching our new webcasting feature along with Dr. Simpson’s conference. This exciting new technology will enable us to broadcast his conference to the entire world. In the near future, we will also be releasing the video of Dr. Stephen Shore’s two-day conference discussing “Autism from a First-Hand Perspective” and Dr. Peter Gerhardt’s conference on the “Bridges to Adulthood”.

The conference series will be in full swing this summer with Barbara Bloomfield, Carol Gray and Dr. Ross Greene visiting Heartspring. We will also have Carol Kranowitz, Linda Hodgdon, Michelle Garcia Winner and Dr. Cathy Pratt here in the spring and summer of 2009. To find out more information on these speakers and their upcoming conferences, please visit the conference page on this website (www.heartsring.org/resources/professionals/speakers.php).

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When humanity beckons…

March 30th, 2008

In Jim’s words:

“As you’ve no doubt sensed from the debrief from Gary, Connie and Lindsay, our China trip was life-changing, inspirational, and sobering, all rolled into one. When one hears so many stories of parents who have contemplated suicide (to include their only child), in a country where “normalization” is the watchword, one cannot help but want to jump in with both feet. It’s difficult to stay objective when humanity beckons. We shed a lot of tears, both happy and sad.”

“During our recent two weeks in a little village on the outskirts of Beijing, where Hope Tian Huiping finally found a home for the Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism, Heartspring became part of China’s long history. I’m attaching one of my favorite photographs, taken by Hope to help memorialize our trip. I’ve looked at this picture every day since our return. It’s true that a picture tells a thousand words. For those of you who have not traveled to the Great Wall, this is not a scene along its 4,000-mile expanse that a typical tourist sees. That portion has been totally repaired, and much like Beijing’s downtown where the upcoming summer Olympics will be held, the city is the epitome of modernity and promise.

This was a bitterly cold day, only twelve degrees above freezing, when we started the ascent to the Great Wall. Unlike other days previous, Hope and her son Tao Tao (pictured walking behind us on the wall) were the only ones who accompanied us. The five-hour trek, tough even for a Marine, has become a metaphor for Hope and her son’s journey, which they began over 20 years ago. In a country of 1.2 billion, there are over 5 million autistic children whose parents, bereft of hope and resources, look to the Stars and Rain Institute, and the help we provide, as their only promise for happiness. In the days that followed in China, and continuing to this day, we are finding our own inspiration.”

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A Journey to Roads Less Traveled

March 15th, 2008

We have now returned, though not yet recovered, from a journey that made a difference in the world; in the lives of others and in our own. We didn’t do a very good job keeping you well informed of our daily activities. We were limited by time, exhaustion, and our own inability to find the words to describe such intense moments of sharing information, compassion, happiness, and sadness. Differences in language sometimes slowed communication, but also increased the intensity of sharing as we discovered vastly greater similarities than differences among staff and families. Many days Connie and Lindsay were in the classrooms or presenting to staff and/or parents. Staff were seeking better ways to work with the children, and moms, dads, and grandparents were seeking hope and a better life for their children. We were interviewed by a national Chinese magazine with a focus on disability and by CNN. Sometimes you have to go to the other side of the world to capture attention for what you are doing back home. The trip to the Great Wall of China was less about the history and majesty of towers 2,500 years old and more about a journey into self discovery.

The last day was intensely emotional as we said goodbye to the staff of Stars and Rain. We shared a video of our experience with them and tried to express our parting thoughts in Chinese. The teachers sang a song for us and gave us simple gifts from the heart that we will treasure forever. After prolonged goodbyes, a group hug, pictures, and many tears, we finally made our way to the door only to be waylaid by parents who were still at the school to celebrate the birthday of one of the children. They gently guided us into the room for more pictures and tears of goodbye for Heartspring staff who a mere ten days earlier were total strangers to them. We then departed for one last dinner in the homes of our hosts, this time at the home of Hope with the loving assistance of several of her staff. Dinner was accompanied with laughter as we shared some of the amusing moments of the last ten days and with tears of sadness for the impending separation of such close and dear friends. Perhaps we changed the course of history for a few people and for a few children in a distant land. Certainly we made life long friends, and most of all, our lives were changed forever. It was an experience of sharing, of discovery; it was a life changing event, difficult to articulate but profoundly present in each of us. It was a journey on a road not often taken and never to be missed. And now we look for ways to make the journey available to many more Heartspring staff; it will only make us better.

Extended Families of Heartspring

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Making New Friends

March 8th, 2008

Every day has been long and intense. Most days we have spent many hours at Stars and Rain. It is chilly this time of year and many of the rooms are unheated in order to save on energy costs. Children and staff wear coats much of the time until they are in the classrooms with the children where it is warmer. Restrooms are outside and are traditional Chinese which creates a challenge for most of us. But despite the occasional discomfort, the commitment of the parents and the passion of the staff are exciting. New ideas are shared and discussed as staff search for ways to make them work in this very unique setting. For each of us, this has been a life changing experience.

Gary

Seeing Old Friends Again

And Making New Friends

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Letter from Hope Tian, Tian Huiping

Conference Series Speaker Update

When humanity beckons…

A Journey to Roads Less Traveled

Making New Friends

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