Portland Bus Driver #17’s Kindness

This past summer I worked at a summer program for children with autism. Although it was one of the hardest jobs I have had, it was also one of the most rewarding.  As those of you who have worked with children of autism know, on their good days and bad they never cease to teach you about what it means to love.

For many who have not been around a child with autism, though, the patience and understanding that is needed is occasionally not there. The summer program that I was involved with takes public transpotation, so each day we encounter many people from our local community of Portland, Oregon. This means we encounter 2-4 different bus drivers. Being a class of about 7 students plus 1 staff member for every child, it is often overwhelming for the bus drivers to have us on their bus, especially since our kids tend to scream, screach, drop to the floor, and try to get off the bus while it is in motion.  We have had our fair share of not-so-friendly bus drivers in the past, which sometimes makes for a stressful day.

Last week, though, we encountered what we now refer to as an ACAP angel. Not only did he happily greet us on the bus, but he also thanked us! He awknowledged our kids when they wanted to say hi or ask him questions and he was understanding when our kids were having behavior issues. His friendly nature sure was a blessing to us and especially our kids who much deserve to be treated as equals in the community. Thank you so much #17 bus driver!