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All photos courtesy of Kevin Campbell.<\/em><\/p>\n Understanding is the difference-maker. That’s the overarching reason why local nonprofit Autism in Long Beach is holding its 2nd Annual Bully-Free Zone Picnic this Sunday: because the more understanding people have of the autistic, the better off we’ll all be.<\/p>\n Autism is “a hidden disability,” says Autism in Long Beach founder Jane Tipton, referring to the fact that autism, a condition that is not identifiable visually, has yet to be generally understood by the population at large.<\/p>\n “The younger generation really doesn’t know what [autism] is, because we [adults] are just finding out a lot about what it is,” Tipton says. “People don’t really see why that kid is acting different. They just think this kid is weird, you know? They don’t know that there are neurological differences with the child \u2014 and so [those children] are more [likely] to be bullied. [\u2026] I think a lot of it comes from misunderstanding and fear. It’s not like they know they’re bullying a special-needs child.”<\/p>\n Tipton says that until last year Autism in Long Beach’s annual picnic didn’t have such a specific focus. “[But] a lot of parents [of autistic children] were talking to me about having issues with bullying,” she says, giving her the idea that the picnic might served a second purpose: as a chance for “the typical community to come meet our kids and kind of make it a day where we just kind of all unite and play together, learn together, eat together, enjoy the day together. And that way it breaks down a lot of the barriers and the stereotypes [regarding] special-needs families, and we can kind of get to know each other on a different level. [\u2026] It’s for everybody.”<\/p>\n Co-sponsored by the Action Sports Kids Foundation<\/a> (ASK), a Long Beach nonprofit “dedicated to providing youth an alternative to the streets and gangs through sports, education and the arts,” Sunday’s Bully-Free Zone picnic will feature various skate demos, including adaptive skateboarding for those with various physical challenges, helping to continue to connect the group’s kids with an activity she says they love<\/a>.<\/p>\n Informational services will also be available, of course. For example, Dr. Sherry Meinberg, a regular sponsor of Autism in Long Beach’s Autism Awareness Booth at the weekly downtown Long Beach farmers’ market, is donating 150 copies of her book Autism ABC<\/em> to families attending the picnic.<\/p>\n Kids and families can avail themselves of various arts and crafts stations, a photo both, and variety of food and other vendors. Also, representatives from Catalyst and the Long Beach Time Exchange will be on hand, as will Councilmember Steven Neal.<\/p>\n “The topic of bullying, especially among those on the autism spectrum, needs to be addressed,” Neal says. “I’m looking forward to attending this event not only to show my support, but to also gain a better understanding of how to raise the awareness of anti-bullying.”<\/p>\n <\/span>Tipton knows the pain of bullying from personal experience, having suffered bullying during primary school in Cerritos over being the adopted black daughter of white parents.<\/p>\n “Back then if you couldn’t solve it with the other parents, then your kid kept getting bullied,” she says. “Whereas now [the issue of bullying] is more out in the forefront. [\u2026] The more we talk about it, the less we are just sitting and letting these things happen.”Tipton knows the pain of bullying from personal experience, having suffered bullying during primary school in Cerritos over being the adopted black daughter of white parents.<\/p>\n Tipton says engendering empathy is what can put a stop to bullying.<\/p>\n “If you see someone in a wheelchair, you know they’re in a wheelchair, [and] you’ve been taught, ‘Don’t pick on that kid,'” she says. “[\u2026] That’s why a picnic like this is really important: because they’re learning what special needs and what these kids are going through.”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/bully02.jpg\")
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