Special Mom’s blog

We have been to the state of New York many times. We have been to New York City many times. We have been on top of the Empire State Building. We had also been on top of the World Trade Center before it came crashing down. We have been to Times Square and seen the Statue of Liberty. 

We have been to New York for my son’s neurologist appointment and for vision therapy. These are doctors who are just doing research to help the people on the spectrum.

We have been to the Ganesha Temple in Queens, the first Hindu temple built in the USA. 

We have been inside the city on its subways, driven inside the crowded city late Saturday nights, and been on their boat service too on the Hudson. Yes, living in the Boston area for more than 13 years, and New York being its sister city, we have had our fair share of adventures.

We have driven across I-90 from Boston, Massachusetts, to Cleveland, crossing the entire state of New York. We have been to Albany, Rochester, and Buffalo and have spent our dollars in the service area around them.

We have been to Niagara Falls and enjoyed its view from the American side with friends and family.

But last weekend, we experienced something new at Niagara Falls. We were there for a very personal reason. The visitor center at Niagara Falls now has unisex bathrooms. There are multiple stalls inside a bathroom that both men and women can have access to. No one was comfortable, including my husband. Niagara Falls attracts tourists from all over the world, and I saw people speaking different languages, but the expressions on their faces were the same when they saw what option they were provided with. Something different or unique that they have never experienced. For me, I was over the moon.  I can enter the bathroom with my son and not feel uncomfortable about it. Now the question is, what would have been my feeling if I did not have a young adult autistic son? I do not know. Those of you who are reading my blog, let me know if you would be comfortable using a unisex bathroom.

So for A to Z challenge

Letter N is for New York

The multiple trips we took to New York helped my son use his eyes better. As I browsed to share the details I learnt Dr. Kaplan, Vision Therapist is no more. He passed away last September at the age of 93. His out of the box thinking was what inspired us to make those numerous visits. If my son is making a basket or catching or dribbling the ball or sitting for a puzzle I would credit that to him. You can learn more about him here in the interview below.

http://www.thecenterforvisualmanagement.com/interview.html

Here is another out of the box thinking neurologist, Dr. Rosario Trifilleti.

https://www.pandaspansinstitute.com/