Bryce Pace - Autism Advocate’s 2021 Christmas Post

It’s that time of year again and despite everything that has happened this year I am proud to share with you all our 2021 Christmas post.

2021 was another difficult year for everyone as we continued to live through the global Covid 19 pandemic. Despite the hardships, or perhaps because of them, this year was also a year of new beginnings and hope as we began to understand what and who is truly important to us.

A lot happened this year and once again sadly not a lot of it was good, however despite us living through a global pandemic we have found ways to cope and even celebrate the big and little things that make life worth living. 2021 saw the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Despite being delayed a year we still found time to celebrate and show pride in our country’s performance. It was unfortunate that no one could attend to cheer on our athletes due to COVID restrictions however, even with this we still found ways to support them and celebrate their achievements. Even though the games are great to watch every year I feel this year’s games were a lot more meaningful as they were held during a time of global adversity that in many ways has brought nations together on a deeper level. The games for many were a time to just watch the athletes and forget what was going on around us even if it was just for a few minutes. It was also a sign of defiance showing the world that nothing will stop us from moving on with our lives and lastly, I feel is was also a sign of normalcy and comfort in a very uncertain and unpredictable time.

This year also saw the first male tennis player to be awarded the Golden Slam which for those of you who don’t follow tennis entails a tennis player winning all 4 championships and a gold medal at the Olympic or Paralympic Games in the same year. Dylan Alcott has achieved so much in such a short time both on and off the court, and I think the best thing is that no matter how many match’s he has won or lost he seemed to ever only think about disability inclusion and accessibility. This focus is evident in the speeches he gives and in interviews with the media and even when you talk to him. I believe that he has shown what people with a disability are capable of and with his retirement at the end of next year’s Australian Open he is allowing another young aspiring tennis player who happens to be a wheelchair user to take his place, to continue to show the world that people with a disability are just as skilled as everyone else. 

2021 was also a big year for space exploration with the year beginning with the launch of Ingenuity, a small 4 pound Helicopter on Mars. This marked the first powered flight on Mars and is a pretty cool experiment for many reasons. Firstly it carried a piece of the wright brother’s plane and it also opens up so many possibilities for getting around Mars when humans eventually set foot there and hopefully even live on the surface. Can you imagine helicopters on mars? We also saw this year the first space tourism flights in history with Space X’s Inspiration4 mission, Benzos’ Blue Origin mission and the Virgin’s Galactic mission. These missions have for the first time opened space up to everyone no matter who you are and given us hope that we all will someday have an opportunity to view earth from a point that only a handful of people so far have had the opportunity to. Out of these three missions though I feel SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission was the one that showcased the possibilities of this future in the best light, not just because they were the first but also because of the four everyday people who were on board. These 4 individuals were just everyday people, not wealthy, not celebrities and not part of any space agency or company, they were just ordinary everyday people who were given a chance of a lifetime to fulfil their dream of going to space. On board there was also the first black woman to ever go to space and the first cancer survivor and a person with a metal rod in their leg. This mission’s goal was to inspire however I feel this mission did so much more than that as it also opened space to the possibility of everyone going no matter what their race, gender, background or level of ability,  we can all make it to space one day. It amazes me that 52 years ago 3 men landed on the moon and now we are flying helicopters on mars and flying civilians into space as tourists. What’s next? 

2021 was also a year of new beginnings for many, as I mentioned before Dylan Alcott is retiring from tennis, a lot of people moved to be closer to loved ones and also to get out of the big cities. Some people switched jobs or decided to pursue their dream careers and some decided to study. For Bryce Pace – Autism Advocate this is also somewhat true as I personally have moved out of home and live independently while also studying a Diploma in Business and my mother moved into her own home in the country which she hopes to renovate and make her own. With these changes I don’t think Bryce Pace – Autism Advocate will quite be the same again and while it is a little sad I am also a little excited for the future of this business as I learn from my studies and continue working on our projects I can’t wait to see the world we help to create together as a community. These new beginnings are bringing hope to many of us who after a hard couple of years need something to look forward to and I believe this is also a sign that we are ready to move on with our lives despite the global pandemic.

As 2021 draws to a close it is time to reflect and look forward to what might be a better year ahead. Just like last Christmas we here at Bryce Pace – Autism Advocate would like you all to think of those who are finding this time of year tough; those who have lost their jobs or loved ones. If you know a neighbour, friend or co-worker who for the first time finds themselves spending Christmas alone or if you know of a family who is struggling to budget in gifts or even Christmas lunch we encourage you to let them know you are thinking of them. Whether that be by bringing some shortbread or cake over, maybe holding an odd fellows lunch for a group who would otherwise be alone, or just by saying hello let’s make sure everyone is remembered this festive season. I know this Christmas is like last year, not what we expected however, that makes it even more important that we ensure everyone is doing alright. It is also important to spend time with your family whether that be in person or by phone or video chat; to have fun and don’t forget to tell some bad Christmas cracker jokes. Let’s reflect on the year we have had and look forward to what 2022 will hopefully bring.

With that in mind from those of us here at Bryce Pace – Autism Advocate, we would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year.

Bryce Pace

Autism Advocate, Blogger, Speaker  

2020 Christmas post

2020 was a difficult year for everyone, it was a year of reflection, change and community as we learnt how to live during a global pandemic. 

A lot happened this year not much of it was good, however we have all found a way to cope and sometimes even laugh at some of the odd things that have occurred. A great example of this is how toilet paper became a luxury item due to nation wide shortages, who would have thought? And how masks have now become a fashion accessory with thousands of different styles to go with your wardrobe; now Japan and China can say they were doing it before it became cool.

We have also learnt a lot this year, and I don’t just mean about viruses but also about ourselves and what is truly important to us. Going into lockdown I can remember the mixed feelings of the autism community, I remember people joking how they had been prepared for this their whole life as they thought we could cope without being around people outside our household. I also remember the struggle when our routines were suddenly changed, we could no longer go to work or school, we couldn’t buy the usual brands as shipping was almost at a stand still and we had to start wearing uncomfortable masks as there were no sensory friendly masks to be found. Despite all the difficulties the autism community faced this year we once again showed how empathetic and close our community is, for every problem an autistic or their family faced there was always someone online ready to assist. It is times like this that remind me how lucky I am to be part of such a caring community who is always there ready to assist.

Our community wasn’t the only one struggling this year though, May saw a wave of Black Lives Matter protests break out across the US and the world a result of the death of George Floyd. These protests will be remembered both for their violence with the burning down of buildings and clashes with police during the non-peaceful protests, and for the actions president Donald Trump took which included, sending riot police in to violently break up a peaceful protest outside the Whitehouse so he could get a photo op. Despite these negatives a lot of good has come out of these protests. Companies and organisations have reviewed their policies and their workforce to make them more inclusive and now more people are aware of the police brutality that exists in their local communities. People have begun to share their stories of police mistreatment due to their race which has then assisted in making a change.

I think the best thing to come out of 2020 is the US election results which showed that the US had had enough of Trump’s lack of leadership and action during one of the worst years in US history. Trump will always be remembered, however it’s probably not the way he wanted to be remembered as he has killed millions of people due to his inaction and lack of leadership. He has shown on multiple occasions that he doesn’t care about his people all he cares about is himself. 2021 looks positive for the US as the Biden administration takes over as the most diverse administration in history and I look forward to seeing what they do within their first hundred days. 

2020 will be a year to remember as it has changed the way we see the world. It has brought families closer together and it has also taken some of those loved ones away from us. As 2020 draws to a close it is time to reflect and look forward to what will hopefully be a better year ahead. This Christmas I would like to challenge you all to think of those that are finding it tough this year, those that have lost jobs and loved ones; if you know of a neighbour who for the first time is spending Christmas alone, or if you know of a family who is struggling to budget in gifts for their kids perhaps do something so they realise you are thinking of them. Bring some shortbread or cake over to their house, or drop in and say hi this Christmas either in person or via zoom. Let’s make sure everyone is taken care of and is full of cheer this festive season. I know this Christmas doesn’t feel the same as last year however it is important after the year we have had to ensure everyone is doing alright. It is also important to have some fun and crack a few bad Christmas jokes and look forward to what the new year will bring.

With that in mind from all of us here at Bryce Pace – Autism Advocate, we would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a hopefully happier and safer 2021.

Bryce Pace

Autism Advocate, Blogger, Speaker

2017 Christmas Post

2017 was an extraordinary year of change for the world. Donald Trump was elected as President of the United States, once again raising the question of The Simpsons having a time traveler as a writer. Same-sex marriage was made legal in Australia highlighting how important acceptance and equality is, however, the thing that stood out to me most was what the autism community achieved.This year was a difficult one for the autism community as we were constantly confronted with new issues. Earlier this year we had to prove that autistic students belong in mainstream schools when Pauline Hanson stated that we didn’t belong because we held our peers back in addition, we also had to stand together once again when Don Burke diagnosed himself with Asperger’s and used it as an excuse for what he did 30 years ago. This year made me proud to be autistic as I got to see the community at its best. We showed the world that when times are tough we stand as one and get through whatever the world throws at us together. This year brought a great deal of change, however, there is still a long way to go before the autism community is accepted and included. At the end of each year, I like to reflect on what I achieved as an advocate and to plan new projects for the coming year. This year there were many achievements. At the beginning of this year my Facebook page had 45 likes and now at the time of me writing this post there are 143 likes and a reach of over 1000 people and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed throughout the year. This year I was given the opportunity to speak at two major events and was in the newspapers on many occasions inspiring people and hopefully encouraging them to change their perceptions around autism. Next year I have one major project planned which I am pleased to announce today. On the 20th of March 2018, I will be holding a Professional Development day. This day is to be held in Warrnambool which is, of course, my hometown and from where this journey all began. The day will feature students, teachers, parents and professionals in the field of autism as speakers. If you are interested in attending please save the date and keep an eye on social media for further details, I am very excited about this day and would love to see you there. I would like to finish this post by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2018. Thanks Bryce Pace Autism Advocate, Blogger, Speaker