WALTHAM —

I’d like to introduce Peter Rutledge of Waltham, a gregarious young man of 23 whose autism has not held him back from being the engaging person he is and living the productive and meaningful life he has chosen for himself.

 

His story illustrates how the love of family, the support of community and the work of organizations like The Arc of Massachusetts can bring enjoyment and fulfillment for Peter and others like him, instead of rejection and isolation that were once the fate of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

 

College sweethearts Beth and Hugh Rutledge married shortly after graduation in June 1978; their son Peter was born in 1987. Three months after his birth, the family went to live in Japan where Hugh Rutledge pursued his interest in education.

 

As Peter was nearing age 2, his parents observed some troubling signs in his development: He was losing the few words he had learned and he had stopped making eye contact. A psychologist associated with the Tokyo International Learning Community, a group of Americans dealing with family members with developmental disabilities, diagnosed Peter as having autism.

 

Autism is one of many intellectual and developmental disabilities that are the focus of The Arc of Massachusetts, which is engaged in an ongoing effort to transform that attention into action, be it advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities or delivery of services to better their lives.

 

When Peter was 4-1/2, the Rutledge family returned to the United States and settled in Waltham, not only because it is the city where Beth’s parents were living but also because Massachusetts had developed a reputation for the quality of its programs and services for children with disabilities like Peter’s.

 

His educational experience is a prime example. The Waltham School Department, which at that time could not accommodate students with severe autism, recommended the League School in nearby Newton (the school later moved to Walpole) and paid Peter’s tuition. There he learned skills that remain with him to this day.

 

A physically strong young man of 23, Peter has also proven himself as a swimmer and walker. He loves to listen to “happy music” on his iPod, his mother says, and his ability with crayons and paper has earned his artwork a place on greeting cards created by the Park Street Church in Boston, where his parents are members and where he participates in a Friendship Bible Study class.

 

Since he graduated from the League School in December 2009, Peter has been participating in a day-hab program at the WCI (an acronym for work, community and independence) in Waltham. He is also employed there, earning a modest income for the office work he performs and for his assistance with custodial duties.

 

Many of these supports are publicly funded through state programs whose future is threatened by a revenue shortfall that could sharply curtail funding for the programs and jeopardize the well-being of Peter Rutledge and the other 180,000 men, women and children in Massachusetts who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. These individuals depend heavily on these programs, not only for basic needs, such as education and employment, but also for life-sustaining services, such as housing and health care.

 

We at The Arc and at its 19 chapters statewide are determined to preserve these programs, and we have already begun to make our position known to legislators and Gov. Deval Patrick as the start of the new fiscal year approaches. We call on you to join us in that effort so that Peter and the many others like him can continue to flourish and demonstrate their abilities in spite of their disabilities.

 

Leo V. Sarkissian is executive director of The Arc of Massachusetts in Waltham.

Read more: Sarkissian: With state help, autistic man thrives – Framingham, MA – The MetroWest Daily News http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/archive/x945639261/Sarkissian-With-state-help-autistic-man-thrives#ixzz1FTGnxK1i

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