{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/6w9668bb9d/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Rubaiya Rahman Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRubaiya Rahman is the founder and executive director of the Autism Society Habilitation Organization (ASHO). Founded in 2015, ASHO serves Intellectual or Developmental Disability (IDD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) individuals and their families in the Bangladeshi American community living in New York City.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRahman recalls the challenges she experienced as a mother raising a son with ASD, initially in Bangladesh and later in New York City where she was pursuing a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree and a career as a legal professional. Rahman details her initial lack of knowledge of autism, the initial sense of devastation that she and her family felt about her son's diagnosis, and the difficulties she had accessing information and government services available to her son. Rahman speaks about starting ASHO to help families in similar circumstances; she explains how ASHO has helped Bangladeshi American and other immigrant families to overcome stigma associated with ASD and IDD as well as to overcome cultural and language barriers to accessing therapies, special education, and other services for individuals with ASD or IDD. Additionally, Rahman discusses the challenges that parents of children with ASD or IDD have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of providing care for them when they become adults.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/42379"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2022-07-31 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Rubaiya Rahman (Interviewee)","Dian Zi (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["1970s-2022 (temporal)","Queens, NY; Dhaka, Bangladesh (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRubaiya Rahman is the founder and executive director of the Autism Society Habilitation Organization (ASHO). Founded in 2015, ASHO serves Intellectual or Developmental Disability (IDD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) individuals and their families in the Bangladeshi American community living in New York City.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRahman recalls the challenges she experienced as a mother raising a son with ASD, initially in Bangladesh and later in New York City where she was pursuing a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree and a career as a legal professional. Rahman details her initial lack of knowledge of autism, the initial sense of devastation that she and her family felt about her son's diagnosis, and the difficulties she had accessing information and government services available to her son. Rahman speaks about starting ASHO to help families in similar circumstances; she explains how ASHO has helped Bangladeshi American and other immigrant families to overcome stigma associated with ASD and IDD as well as to overcome cultural and language barriers to accessing therapies, special education, and other services for individuals with ASD or IDD. Additionally, Rahman discusses the challenges that parents of children with ASD or IDD have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of providing care for them when they become adults.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/270/620/small/data?1745427534","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - rahman_rubaiya_20220731_full.m4a"]},"duration":4041.03837,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/270/620/small/data?1745427534","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/270/620/original/rahman_rubaiya_20220731_full.m4a?1745424878","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mp3","duration":4041.03837,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Today is July 31st, 2022. This is Dian Zi with Rubaiya Rahman. We are recording for the Queens Memory Project. Rubaiya, do you agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the Queens Memory informed consent and copyright permission form that I shared with you over email?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=0.0,19.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Yes, absolutely.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=19.0,21.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: And could you please say your full name and spell it for us?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=21.0,26.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: My full name is Rubaiya Rahman. Rubaiya like R-U-B-A-I-Y-A. And Rahman is R-A-H-M-A-N. Rahman.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=26.0,40.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Thank you so much Rubaiya. The first question is, can you share the first memory you have in your life?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=40.0,48.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Okay, the first thing is I have [unclear] brother. We are two. I am the eldest and my brother is youngest. I was born in Bangladesh, in the capital Dhaka. I was a very small girl. I used to play with my brother and we had a little picnic, like we were cutting tomatoes and some lemonade. And my brother was very angry with me for something, like he was asking me something, I didn't agree, and then we were fighting. Something hit me in my head and then I had bleeding, so I thought it was my brother. I started crying, screaming, and then my dad came and he saw what is going on. Then I was rushed to the hospital. So that was something, happened very early in my childhood, but I do remember that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=48.0,101.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Can you tell me about your family and the neighborhood you grew up [in]?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=101.0,105.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: We're a very small family. My dad, my mom, my brother and myself, and we were in the capital of Dhaka. My dad was a legal practitioner. He was a lawyer. He now passed, but he was a very successful lawyer in Bangladesh. And my mom was a homemaker, and I am the eldest and my brother was two years younger to me. And Dhaka, when I was born back in the seventies, it was a very quiet neighborhood and we were very close to the courthouse so that my dad could travel to the courts and come back home, take care of us. So we were a very united small family.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=105.0,155.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: You mentioned you grew up in the capital, so what was the capital like back then?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=155.0,160.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: The capital when I was growing up was very good. It was very like a suburb. It was not like a capital because it just liberated from Pakistan because we were before a colony of Pakistan and then we had this war in 1971. And so after the war, the capital was getting busier, but before that it was quiet. My childhood as I remember, that it was very quiet, less car, less population. Unlike now it is so overcrowded, so many people. But when I was growing up, it was a quiet city.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=160.0,201.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: I know that you went to college for a law degree, so can you tell us a little bit more about that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=201.0,209.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Since my dad was a lawyer, I used to love his profession. I used to accompany him to his work to the court. It was funny, everybody knew me when I was a young girl. They knew me, that I am my dad's daughter, always following him. So I had a dream that I'll be a lawyer someday. So I started my college in Bangladesh and when I finished my college degree, I was debating because I got admission to a medical school as well at the same time I got admission to the law school. So it was a dilemma. What should I be doing? But finally my childhood memory helped me out and I got into the law school. So I did my law school in Bangladesh and then I did my master's degree over there. I started practicing as a lawyer, but at the same time I got an offer to be a faculty. So after that I joined the faculty as a teacher for the law school.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=209.0,274.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Which school did you teach for?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=274.0,277.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: It's the University of Bangladesh School of Law.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=277.0,282.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Can you tell us more about your experience in the law school and teaching at the law school?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=282.0,288.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Great. Yeah. Our degree was four years undergrad and one year of LLM [Master of Laws Degree]. So the four [years] I was in the undergrad studies, I was a bit of a good student so that everybody knew me and everybody thought that I'll be a teacher someday. I was very friendly with the teachers, the faculties, they used to call me and I was a teaching assistant. I was also a clerk with the justice, Chief Justice of Bangladesh. So I had a dream that I'll be a teacher pretty soon, but what happened there was a hiring freeze in the Dhaka University and I was not being able to be hired right away after I passed.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=288.0,333.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So I was waiting. I was practicing in the high court with my dad. I was going there, coming back. I was doing work, but I was always thinking when the time will come when I'll be a teacher. So finally after I think three or four years down the road, one day suddenly I got a phone call that, \"Rubaiya, are you still interested?\" [I said], \"Yeah, of course.\" And then I got the interview. The whole teachers associations, they were sitting there, they were interviewing and finally I got it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=333.0,366.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: And can you tell us a little bit more about your relationships?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=366.0,370.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So as we conventionally, our marriages, back in the nineties it was more like a arranged marriage, and I met my husband through a friend of my dad and he was then studying in U.S. [United States]. He was engineer from West Virginia. So he came and we met through our family friends and then we get to know each other a little bit more. And finally two of our families agreed that good to get married. And then we finally got married in September back in 1990. So that is the beginning of our marital life.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=370.0,412.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: And then after four, five years, I got my first child. It is a daughter, and at that time I was in America, so she was born here. And then I was still pursuing my higher studies like LLM here in NYU [New York University]. So when I was at the school, I got my second child, my son. So he was born in 1998, and at that time I was working at Dhaka University at that time. So I had to go back to Bangladesh and when I was in Bangladesh I had my son. He was born in Dhaka and then he was diagnosed within a year that he has autism.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=412.0,462.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: And then I came to U.S. So when I came to U.S. then he was put into early intervention. When he was in the early intervention process, for me, autism was quite a new concept. I had no idea. So I was learning about this disability that how it affects the life of a child, how it affects the parents. And my family was really stunned to hear that, what is going on, how we should move on with our life. And my husband was at that time back in Bangladesh and I was here with my children. So it was pretty difficult for me to navigate through the system.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=462.0,510.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So then I was having a conversation with my husband that what we should do. And as far as I understood at that time that it's a lifelong disability. So I was not sure whether I should go back to my work or I should continue with the therapies and whatever available treatment for my son. So that was a time which was very confusing stressful for us.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=510.0,539.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: And at the same time I was at NYU pursuing my LLM because I was thinking to finish my PhD so that I can move on with my career as a teacher. But that was a very challenging time for my life because it was very tough for me to pursue my studies at the same time taking care of two children. One was with autism. So after I finished my LLM, I decided not to pursue my PhD degree anymore because it was really tough on me, and financially I wasn't that good at that time. So I thought I should start working full-time so that I can support the family. So then I started working.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=539.0,589.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Thank you so much for sharing that. You mentioned that your son was diagnosed in Dhaka. Do you recall the meeting you had with the doctor, the moment that doctor told you that your son may have, may be on the spectrum?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=589.0,603.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Yeah, actually the doctors were not treating it very seriously. I was telling them, \"Look, my son is very much focused with his own hands. He's always playing with his hands. When I come into the room, he doesn't look up to me and I think that is not normal.\" Most of the children I see that when the mom or dad enters the room, the child looks up and they want to go to the mother or the father. That is usual response. But my son doesn't do that. He's playing with himself or he is playing with whatever he was doing. He doesn't look up. So the doctors back then, they were not very concerned. They said that, \"Listen, some of the children are delayed. Their developmental stages take a little longer, especially with the boys, so you don't worry.\" But I was not feeling good. I had a feeling there is something is off with my son.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=603.0,670.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So I started taking him to different doctors. Finally, one of the doctors in child hospital in Bangladesh, she said that, yes, we have a developmental group who can help you to measure where is your son in the spectrum or not. Let us take a day. We went for a whole day of diagnosis. They were playing with my son. They're listening to me. They were looking how we are feeding him. So eventually at the end of the day they said that, yes, as a team we think there are some traits of autism in your son, but it's very early to diagnose because he's only one year old at that time. So I think you should give it a try, but play with him more, talk with him, play with him, and after another year we'll come back and diagnose him properly. So at that time I was already planning actually I had the admission with NYU for my LLM classes.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=670.0,741.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So I thought that it is better if I come here and I start going to neurologist. Maybe that would be better. So I traveled to New York, started my school at the same time I had the diagnosis done here. But as you were asking, the initial feeling when the first doctor was telling me that he might have autism, I was really at a loss. I didn't understand. What's going on? What they're saying? What is autism? What will happen to him? So I was asking lot of questions and the doctors were hesitant to tell me, but they were saying that, see, this is a disability and so many children have it and some of them have better results, but it might be a lifelong thing. It was a tremendous shock for the entire family. And when I came back to my family, to my mom, to my dad, they just couldn't believe it. They were telling us that, \"How is it possible? Our family doesn't have any disability like that.\" And why he should have it, he was born healthy, you are healthy, why [he should have it.] We didn't have any answer. We were just totally confused, very sad. My in-laws were also very sad. It was like a devastating news for the whole entire family.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=741.0,832.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Thank you for sharing that. And you mentioned that you moved to New York for your LLM and also to give yourself a better treatment or therapy. So do you remember the time that you bring your son to a doctor in America and what did they tell you? And that was in the early 2000's. So what was the understanding of autism back then in the United States?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=832.0,861.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: I think in United States it was already good protocol there. And when I started going through the early intervention, I was very new to it, I didn't understand, but I should give credit to all the therapists. They came to my house. They were actually giving me therapy. They were telling me that you should not be very sad. You have to be strong to defend everything coming in your way for your son. Unless you are strong, you cannot support or help your child. You have to understand what autism is, how you can help him. The more you are strong, the more you are helping your son. So that was a opening of my eyes to the disability. That is the time I understood that this is not something I give pill to my son and he gets cured. Before I came to USA, I was thinking that there is somewhere, some treatment, that can cure autism.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=861.0,927.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: But when I am here and when I was reaching out to the doctors, the therapists, they were putting me into a better position, better understanding that this is a disability. First you have to get to know that. [unclear] you have to make yourself knowledgeable. What is autism? What is the available treatment plans? And only then you will be helping your son. So gradually, it didn't happen in one day, but gradually I was understanding the disability. Every day was a learning thing for me. I was learning every day and eventually I started accepting that, yeah, this is a disability I have to [unclear] with my son, and my son has to [unclear] a better option through therapies and treatments and it does not cure in one day. It is over period of time he will improve. And he is now 23 years old, and this 23 years have been a learning process for me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=927.0,996.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: You mentioned that you start to gradually understand autism is something that just a lifelong thing that you and your family and your son have to live with. Back then you were doing your LLM by yourself in the United States and also taking care of your children. How did you balance that? How did you balance your work, your study and being a mother [unclear] on the spectrum?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=996.0,1021.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Yeah, that was a very challenging time because going to school was very demanding. At the same time, I have two children. Thankfully I had my father-in-law and all my in-laws were here. So I was taking advantage of that situation. During the daytime I used to leave my kids with them when I was at the school. But in the evening after my classes were done, I would come back home and I would take over. So that was couple of months. And then I talked with my husband that it is not possible to maintain this way and I should not take advantage of the in-law so much, so he should join me. So he was working back then at Bangladesh, so he told me that give me some time, I have to wrap up and I have to come and join you. So it was difficult. Sometimes I had some neighbor, I used to tell them to babysit my son, and they were kind enough to do that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1021.0,1089.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: And I used to go to school very early in the morning, and it was like a one hour commute from Jamaica to NYU, and then I finished my studies. I know when I come back I cannot study at home, so I used to go to the library and do my coursework over there as much as possible. And then I would come back home and then I would take care of the children. So the first six months was really struggling. At the same time I was taking my son to different hospitals for have a checkup. I used to take him to Columbia/[NewYork-]Presbyterian, I took him to NYU and a lot of other hospitals just to have a second opinion that whether it is correct, whether the diagnosis is correct, because I was in a dilemma that maybe the diagnosis is not right. Maybe he's not autistic. Maybe he has some other conditions. So it was difficult. It was very challenging.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1089.0,1147.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: But as I told you, that therapist told me that you have to be the soldier for your son and if you don't fight it, nobody else will do that. So that made me very strong. I started looking for a solution for my son and eventually when my husband came back, came to New York, then things got a little bit easier. He was taking care of the children and I was concentrating my studies and therapists used to come home. So that [unclear] little bit of relief at that point of time.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1147.0,1190.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: You mentioned that your husband joined you after a few months, after you studied at NYU, and that was you were living [in] Jamaica, Queens at that moment. Can you please tell us what kind of support, community support or local government support, you can get at that moment in Queens?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1190.0,1212.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Yeah, I think that was a good support at that time because when I took my son to a pediatrician, she mentioned that my son needs early intervention and she connected me with Personal Touch. It was agency that was giving early intervention, and from that moment it was like, they provided me with car, they provided me with all the evaluation, like psychological, psychosocial evaluation for my son. So all I had to do [was] answer their phone. They would say that we'll be sending you a car so you can bring your son to us. And I used to do that and everything was taken care of. I should say it was a very unique system that supported me at the initial stage and then I understood that, yeah, this is from the government, I'm getting it. And then my son was being diagnosed, being evaluated, and then there was a plan, a goal set up. And when the early intervention was finished when he was three, he started with the QSAC [Quality Services for the Autism Community] school program. Even that was very helpful because they had a very good system of taking care of my son from my home to the facility. And I used to go sometime to see how the therapies are being done. So I should say the governmental system at that point was excellent.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1212.0,1312.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Were there any lack of resources, you were like, oh, I hope that back then they had that support.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1312.0,1319.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: I should say that even now I face the cultural incompetency and the language accessibility. That was very much lacking at that time. Because I'm a law student and I was going through the higher studies, so language was not that much of a problem, but it was all technical language. Like, what is autism, the diagnosis, the evaluation, the IEP [Individualized Education Program], everything was highly technical. Even for me it was so difficult to understand and there was so much lack of cultural competency to make us understand that what they're doing with my son and how they're doing it and what we should be doing as parents or caregivers at home. What they used to do, they used to come home, they give him the therapy and they will go, but we have to follow up at home and we have to work with my son 24/7. It is a process that cannot stop.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1319.0,1387.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: It should be it was a feeling I got that they are doing their job and he will be cured. That was the feeling I got at that moment. But they did not, because of the cultural incompetency, because they thought that we'll be understanding it automatically that we have to carry on what they're doing at home. But that is because of that cultural incompetency because they were taught from the school and college, that is what they're doing. But we coming from a different culture where we do not have exposure to that type of studies or that type of culture, so we did not understand, not my whole family, that nobody understood that they took my son to a room, they did some therapies and then they are leaving after half an hour, and that's it. So I should say that those cultural gaps, those language barriers is still a problem for the families.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1387.0,1447.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Back then it was a big problem because sometimes I used to sit with them for hours to just understand what they're saying, what is going on with my son, why he's so sensitive to touch, why he's crying. So I used to ask them like thousand questions and then I would understand that, okay, maybe that is what we should do. So I should say there is a gap of communication, that at that time there was a big gap of communication, and I used to ask everyone, whoever I would see, going to a pediatrician, I would ask them what they're saying, what they're doing, how they're doing, what I should do as a mom.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1447.0,1492.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: I can tell you an example. I was reading an article at that time that lactose may be a contributing factor for autism. And I tried to ask the doctors and the therapist if that is true. Nobody answered me properly and then I stopped giving him milk and I put him into soya milk. That was something I think even now I think was not a good idea. And my son didn't like the soya milk, so I used to put syrup, strawberry syrup or caramel, and that destroyed his teeth. Because of these gaps of communication, because of this cultural competency, I was not able to reach out to the therapist or the doctors properly and they were not giving us all the information. So I should say there is still a communication gap, but back then it was huge.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1492.0,1554.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: You were a very strong mother and you are exploring all the options, all the challenges at the end of the day by yourself. Even you have all the support but it's still your own journey, your own journey with your son. So can you talk a little bit about your son? Did he go to public schools and what kind of education resources that back then that the local government or local school district provide?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1554.0,1581.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: As we're an immigrant family, finance was a big problem for us. Giving him to a private school was not an option for me. And I was looking for good public schools where he can go. And I was suggested that the District 75 provides IDD [Intellectual and developmental disabilities] population in New York. That's what I was learning through everybody that any local school, the zonal school, you have to put your child and there will be a section. So I was talking to the Board of Education, so I started dialogue with them. I went to the Board of Education and I showed them all the paperwork that this is my son's evaluation and what we should be doing. And they directed me that District 75 deals with all the IDD population in New York. So he should be put into the zonal school in the special need section of it. So that's the beginning of my son's schooling.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1581.0,1646.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: And all through his school he went to public school with the special needs section and he finished. He graduated in 2020, 811Q in Marathon Parkway [P.S. Q811]. So I think school journey was sometimes it was not so even, but most of it I got help from the teachers, the therapist. There were times when I had to fight with the school because my son is severely autistic. He needed six to one plus [6:1+1 is a class ratio specific to special classes in District 75 that describes 6 students to one special education teacher and one paraprofessional] and sometimes I should say the IEP [Individualized Education Program] meetings were so technical sometimes I didn't understand that how this things will work. And he was pushed into a twelve to one to four class [a class ratio that comprises of twelve children, one special education teacher, and one paraprofessional for every three students] and it took me a year to bring him back to a six to one class size.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1646.0,1704.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So I should say the parent has to be very careful, very attentive what's going on in the public school system because otherwise your son may be not getting what they should be getting because the therapies they're getting is not I should not say it is enough. They get twice speech, two times OT [Occupational Therapy], two times PT [Physical Therapy]. And since the IEP says that, they do not get enough services at home, because they say though whatever he is getting he should be getting it in the school and not at home. So that is pretty challenging because they're not getting any help at the home. And for us, we are working parents, we have to go to work, and who will continue with the therapies at home? Basically when they're back home they're not getting any help. They're sitting there, sitting home, and not doing anything most of the time.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1704.0,1765.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: I know in some of other states they provide at-home care to people on the spectrum, but from your story it does not sound like for the case of New York.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1765.0,1777.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: I believe most of the New York parents face this problem because as I have this small organization, Autism Society Habilitation, I started this organization because parents with my type of experience face the same challenges. They get some therapies at the school but not at home. And when they don't get it at home, they have to get it out of pocket expense and it's not possible. It's highly expensive. And for working families in New York, after house rent, commute and other expenses, most of the parents cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket therapies. So we try to talk with Board of Education that how we can get some help, some therapies or continuing therapies at home. It is still challenging. It is. Most of the time we don't get it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1777.0,1842.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: You mentioned that you are the founder of Autism Society Habilitation Organization, ASHO. And you found that in 2015. And how old [was] your son back then? He was 16?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1842.0,1854.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Yeah, he is very young.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1854.0,1857.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: He was a teenager. So can you tell us the story, the moment you decided to start an organization?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1857.0,1866.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: When I finished my school at NYU, I started working with the law firm. It was a Bangladeshi law firm who was working on immigration. I was helping the community, at the same time I get to know a lot of people. So I was working and I came across many families who had a child with autism and there were so much stories going on that they didn't know what is autism. They didn't know what are the resources available in New York, in the school system, how to approach it. I found it out, it came to me that I was a newbie when I was here in New York, but the other families are even in a more challenging situation. They were not understanding at all the system and their children are missing out early intervention, they're missing out in therapies.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1866.0,1924.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So I started, I formed a parents group first, couple of parents, we started helping other parents, and then we found out that only talking to them is not helping enough. So I started this organization so that as an organization we could help these parents. And today from the start, now what we do, we initiate the OPWDD [New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities] eligibility process through our organization so that so many families don't even understand the front door meeting concept. They think it is just a meeting, but it is not just a meeting. You have to initiate that meeting to get the eligibility to OPWDD. So that's how we started and we still doing that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1924.0,1979.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: I read the website of your organization. You are mostly serving the Bangladesh family in Queens and you also mentioning about there's a cultural gap to understand autism and to provide resources to parents with autism. Can you tell us a story of another immigrant family that have faced the same challenge you faced and throughout maybe your work or your organization, ASHO?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=1979.0,2006.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: There are a lot of stories like that, but I should start saying that front door meeting is the beginning of the OPWDD eligibility process. Whenever a parent calls me or our organization, we ask them the question, \"Did you get a front door meeting? Do you have a OPWDD eligibility?\" Most of the time they do not understand what I'm telling them. So I invite them for a meeting so that I can go through the process. I can explain them that these are the resources if you want service. You have to have these eligibility approval and then you can start the process. So that is the starting point. So a couple of years back a lady, a young mother, she was a single mom, she called me and she said that I know that you are a mother and I am also a single mom and I need some help.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2006.0,2064.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So I asked her what happened. You should come and see me. So she came to me and she said that her son is very self-injurious and he gets very agitated sometimes and she doesn't know how to handle him. She cannot go to her work because nobody takes care of her son. So initially I said that then it'll be a problem. Do you have a family member who can take care of him? And she said, \"No, I'm all by myself.\" So I said let's start with some process of, what is that called? The OPWDD eligibility, we'll help you out with that. In the meantime, let's see how we can help. One of our parents, she started going over to her house so that she can get some help like a respite. But two weeks later I got a phone call around 12 o'clock in the night that her child is really injuring himself.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2064.0,2129.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: He is banging his head and he's having all these bruises all over his face. What should she do? So I knew that at that point we have to take a drastic measure. I tell her to call 911. They were rushed to the hospital and he was admitted to the hospital for a couple of days. I reached out to OPWDD and then the whole process was expedited. And I know from that moment OPWDD was giving lot of attention to that family and about a month or so I hear from her that she got the eligibility from OPWDD and she started getting respite. So I was really surprised that so suddenly things worked out for her. But then we started the process with OPWDD and we're talking to them and the respite workers were helping her out. So that is one story. We feel very good about it and till now [they] are doing very good. She's working and she has all the help for her son.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2129.0,2198.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Okay. The procedure you mentioned there is definitely some like a culture or language gap, especially for the immigrants to understand those terms. Have you talked to any representative from the government about your concern of why those terms are so difficult or why there's such a gap for the immigrant family?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2198.0,2218.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Exactly. That is actually our focal point right now where pre-COVID time we were having almost periodical dialogue with all the elected officials because of these immigrant families challenges. Because the immigrant families come and they face lot of challenges as a new immigrant to this country. And on top of that they're having a child with disability that makes their journey even tougher. So we were talking that if we can have cultural competency or language capacity that will help them out to understand the process, that will be most helpful. I met DDPC, that is Developmental Disability Planning Council, in Albany. They were listening to us very carefully that what is the problem faced by the immigrant community and they came out with a plan that they will have periodical dialogue with all the immigrant families so that they can hear the problems. And through that they started a program with us with, ASHO.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2218.0,2293.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/59","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: They are starting a cultural competency and language barrier webinar so that we can have our experts on the field of IDD, like intellectual disability and autism, having webinar and having translated in Bengali so that the parents can understand it. And this process has now become so good that we have all the experts who are coming in and some of our Bengali experts, they are translating it and we are doing the webinars in bilingual. Sometimes it is one in Bengali, one in English. So now the systems are more transparent. We are making it more understandable, but we are still working on IEP language because IEP is a very legal document. It's a very difficult big documentation which we are starting to make people or the parents understanding it. So yeah, we are talking to all the elected officials in our area and all the agencies. So I think we have, making a progress towards that, but we have a long way to go.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2293.0,2371.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/60","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: I remember reading your website and there is a section for the toolkit translation. So your organization was inspired by how Autism Speaks, the toolkits translate into Korean, and how that helped the Korean community. And you were doing that for the Bengali community. And can you tell us a little bit more about how the translation of the toolkit, the cultural adaption of the toolkit can actually making impact for immigrant community?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2371.0,2401.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/61","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: The toolkit is for when it starts, when the diagnosis is done. So this is a very crucial moment for the families because that is a moment of revelation. They understand that, yeah, there is a problem with their child and they have to follow through the whole process. So toolkit is very vital document for the parents and we want to have it translated so that every family who come across with the diagnosis maybe all the elementary schools should have that translated in Bengali so that, especially in Queens, there are a high concentration of Bangladeshi communities. And I should say in New York there are 30,000 children with autism. So unless we have it translated, the toolkit and other documents, most of the families will be left out and they will not be understanding the process. They will be following it blindly not knowing what they're doing. So we are very much adamant to have everything including the toolkit in Bengali.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2401.0,2469.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/62","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Did you mention 30,000 Bengali kids with autism in New York, South Asian communities? New York is a huge city and also an immigrant city and all those kids from the South Asian families, I know that your organization helped them a lot. But were there any other more established, let's just say, government department focused on helping those immigrant families or it's more done by activists like you?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2469.0,2502.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/63","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: I believe so. I believe that it's mostly done by the CBOs [Community-Based Organizations] because what happens [is] that the early intervention is a process that starts through a pediatrician or through the school, and the school does some evaluation and through that the IEP is created in the school system and the children are sent to the school. They follow the IEP and that's how the things move on until they graduate from the school. So there are not so many agencies that are actually focused on intellectual disability or autism on the immigrant communities. I should say that we should encourage government or the local government to have more of these type of agencies so that locally a parent can go to that agency and seek help or seek understanding of the process. There are a lot of resources available in the government, but understanding it, where to go and how to get the resource, that is more challenging than getting the resources.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2502.0,2576.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/64","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So if we have more CBOs like us who and I should tell you one thing, that autism or intellectual disability in our society is considered a taboo. Parents don't want to talk about it. They'll try to hide it. Why they come to me? Because I am from them and I have a child with autism. They feel they can relate to us, relate to me and relate to my foundation, because there are parents who have a child with autism or other intellectual disability and through that they don't feel ashamed. There is a feeling of shame having a child with autism. That is a cultural thing. That is why we say that cultural competency so very important, because while other community treat this as a disease or a condition, we consider it as a shame that maybe we did something wrong or there was something that we did, that's why my children is like that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2576.0,2637.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/65","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So this is something, ignorance, but it is there in the society. The parents try to hide it. So if we have culturally competent CBOs like us who can do the awareness thing that there is nothing to be ashamed of, bring your child, get the early intervention, because early intervention really can make a change to the life of a child and we cannot miss that period from two year to four year old. And most of the parents miss it just because of their confusion, their feeling of guilt or feeling of shame. They do not bring their child out and that's where we are missing it out. So we need more agencies like us.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2637.0,2685.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/66","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: I also know that your website has a section dedicated for the COVID-19 resources and I know that COVID-19 was a challenge, especially for people who are on the spectrum. So can you tell us a little bit about how COVID-19 impact your work, the personal story that you have from the pandemic?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2685.0,2707.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/67","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Yes. When the pandemic hit, everybody was shocked. New York was hard hit by this pandemic and we were all struggling. My whole office was shut down, everything was shut down, and we were not understanding how to respond to this pandemic. We were so scared. But then eventually the life has to go on and we were looking for a way to help these families. First of all, there was no vaccine and there was families who were quarantined in the house. They don't even have access to food. So our first response was we created a group, like two or three people, we used to go buy food and make package and when we heard a family was impacted by COVID, we used to go and deliver the food at their doorstep because a big portion of our community is Muslims and they don't take other food than halal. And it has to be halal, it has to be procured from a specialized store.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2707.0,2776.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/68","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So we connected with couple of stores who could serve us with halal food and then we made the package and we delivered to couple of so many families. And then we started when the vaccine was coming out, then our donor agency, DDPC, they advised us that you start all the webinars, educate your population that what is COVID-19, how a family with child with autism should address that COVID thing. How they should go by because there were a lot of challenges like our children do not like to wear mask. They don't understand why they cannot go to a bus. They were challenged why they cannot go to school. And these children are very much structured. They want discipline. So they know they have to get up, they have to go to school, they have to have other classes, they come back. But it was not happening during that pandemic period.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2776.0,2841.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/69","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: They were out of school and they did not know what to do. Parents were at a loss what to do. So we started all classes like yoga classes, music classes on the website to help out these families to keep their children busy. So that's how we were responding at that time because there were so many things going wrong, because some of the families, the parents were both COVID affected and they were not able to take care of the child. I won't be able to explain how difficult that time was, but thank to the extended families who were helping out these situations. We were trying to reach out to them with information, with food, and some of the classes we were helping the families with, different yoga class, music. Sometimes just talking to them that we are also in the same boat. We are having the similar situation. Sometimes we had peering, like my son was talking to his group of students, his classmates who were meeting via internet. So that's how we were managing. And some of the parents were like son and the mother we had four families we were all talking just making a conversation to make the stress go.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2841.0,2932.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/70","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: You mentioned that a lot of kids on the spectrum, they need discipline and they have a very structured lifestyle, and COVID-19 definitely did impact their previous lifestyle. Can you please tell us one story of that? Because I think a lot of people who do not have family members on the spectrum, they probably cannot understand that how important a disciplined lifestyle is for kids on the spectrum. So just one story to help the audience understand.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2932.0,2966.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/71","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Not a problem. I have one of the families, their child, every day he gets up and then he puts on his clothes and takes his bag. He wants to go to school. And the parents were in a dilemma what to do with that situation. And then the son never liked the mask so they tried to take him to the bus and bus wouldn't take him. It was very difficult at that moment for them. We were advising, we are talking to the parents at that same time and then we advised them maybe you should take him to a park.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=2966.0,3001.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/72","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: We had an Uber driver who was very, very nice to us. He used to deliver food for other families as well. So he helped this family. He used to go to them and then they would take their son with the backpack and everything and they would go to a park, usually the Cunningham Park. The son would play a little bit in the park and stay some time and then the Uber driver will come back and bring him back home. So that's how he had a little feeling that, alright, he was going to a trip and coming back home. Yeah, I should say that was something we tried to help them out.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3001.0,3048.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/73","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Thank you. Also social distancing could also be a challenge for especially kids on the spectrum. Do you have a similar story of that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3048.0,3058.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/74","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: The social distancing in a way was [unclear] challenging [unclear] to take out, because they didn't understand why they cannot go this place, or cannot go to their teacher, or why they cannot stand close to somebody. So most of the parents, what they did not take their children out most of the time, but it was making their life miserable. So what we were telling the parents that take them to a beach, take them to a park or to any place where you don't have much population, but let them go out. Only that way they can have a little bit of outside world, not always confined into their rooms, but it was virtually very difficult. Most of the parents were very confused. They were not happy and they were very scared taking their kids out because anytime they would take off their mask they would go to a person, which is not advisable.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3058.0,3125.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/75","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Also we were scared that with what we should be advising them. Only when we started having the vaccination that time we had a little bit of relief. But then vaccination process itself was a challenge because children with autism, taking them to a facility where they will be getting vaccinated was a big challenge. So we started webinars on how to take your child to a facility to have him vaccinated and we started a program like the parents would call a CVS or other pharmacies that I have a child with autism and they need a place less noise, less crowded so that they can just go sit there adjusted with the environment and get vaccinated. So those were the webinars we started doing with the parents so that they could have their child properly vaccinated in a friendly environment.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3125.0,3190.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/76","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Your organization is definitely doing a lot for South Asian families in Queens, and you were mentioning that a lot of community outreach, a lot of webinars, and before COVID more in-person events. Are there any programs that your organization is also doing that we have not been able to cover in this interview?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3190.0,3213.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/77","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: We have started in-person Play with a Show Program. It is like a play therapy. At the same time it has a portion of ABA [Applied Behavior Analysis] therapy because ABA therapy is something not offered in the public schools and it is very expensive out-of-pocket therapies. So we have a couple of therapists with us who are very kind enough to work with us and we have them in our center where they offer this therapy like 45 minutes, an hour, with the children, with playing and teaching them how to focus, how to learn, how to give them a calm time. We are doing it now. It's on Saturday and Sunday, weekend classes, and some of the kids who cannot travel to our facility, some of our therapists go out to their homes to give them this combination of Play with a Show.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3213.0,3275.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/78","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: You create such an amazing organization and community that you're fighting for so many families out there. You mentioned that your son is a young adult now. He is 23? I know there's more resources for kids with autism but there's less resources for adults with autism. Can you tell us a little bit more about the challenges facing adults? What kind of gap do you think is there and how can we fill out the gap together?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3275.0,3301.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/79","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: I think adulthood is the most crucial part of autism. As a parent we are facing it when they are a child they have school to go, they have all the activities to go, they have so many things to do. But the time they're adult, they're 21 plus, it is a world that we don't know. There are only few day programs available. Sometimes this is not culturally appropriate and by that time our children who are now adults, they have their own feelings, they have their own way of life and if they don't like the facility they will not go there. And most of the time, one or two days they go to a day program and then they don't like it. They stop going there and you cannot force an adult to go to a place where they don't want to go. And what happens, the adults and the parents, they're stuck at home with this population.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3301.0,3364.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/80","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: I am right now very much focused on this transitioning population who are now becoming adults. And soon, as parents, we are aging. It is not so easy for us to handle an adult or a young person. As a child it was easier for us taking him to the bathroom, having him clean, having him showered. As an adult, I just cannot do everything for him. Like taking him to the bathroom, cleaning him, giving him a shower. You can imagine how difficult it can be. But we are society, we are facing this and I have so many parents asking me solution what we should be doing. We need a culturally appropriate day program where they will see similar faces like us, similar language we talk, similar food that we eat so that they feel at home to be in that program. We need places to go where our children can have their time [unclear] culturally and [unclear] similar people out there. They should have work environment where they can work and they can get help.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3364.0,3444.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/81","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: The minimal [unclear] work they can do, still they can do work if that environment is culturally appropriate. So this is a fight we have. Now we have started working with other elected officials to let them understand this is a reality. This will be a tsunami of population who are becoming adults and they have no place to go actually. And if we can appropriately divert them to a workforce, the minimum they can do, we can bring it to be a functional force if we are properly disciplined. If we can make them some of these adults are good at math, some of them are good at music, some of them are good at art. So if we create an environment where [they] can put their talents into some sort of work and with a little bit of a help or prompt they can do something, they can make use of their time, they can be a little bit more functional. We should concentrate on that. We should put our focus to that place. I don't know how far we can do that, but that is the journey we are on right now.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3444.0,3523.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/82","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: You mentioned that it's the biggest challenge facing the society now, but does New York have any plan for that or any plan that you are aware of?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3523.0,3532.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/83","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: I should say there are things like ACCES-VR [Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation], but that is for high functioning IDD population. But there are people who are not high functioning. What happens to them? There is no answer to that. So wherever I try they ask us how functional the individual is, how much is his ability. But what [happens] when there is no ability? What they should do? And you cannot just put him to a place where people just babysit him. We don't want that. We want them to put to some kind of activity. So I should say I didn't find a good environment where these adults can go and do something with their life. So this is a journey. We have to look for other solutions or we come up with a solution. So that is one thing we are looking for right now.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3532.0,3595.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/84","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Your organization is providing a lot of help and support for the community. Very grateful that you're also part of the solution. What's the name of your son? I think we forgot [to] cover that part.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3595.0,3610.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/85","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: His name is Tamzed, T-A-M-Z-E-D, Rahman, R-A-H-M-A-N. So I should talk a little bit about Tamzed. Tamzed is a nonverbal young man and he's very compassionate. He's very close to parents, with me and his dad, and his sister. He loves to play music. He used to go to music therapy at NYU and now he goes to Molloy College. He's excellent in music. He loves doing it. It calms him down. And it is not that he's playing music, but he has a conversation in music. Like with his therapist, the therapist starts a play and he can finish it or he can start a play and they finish it. So it's the conversation and it's a beautiful piece. We love it. And I know there are a lot of [individuals] who are good at music with autism, so this can be a thing that we can pick up and we can grow these adults in better individuals with their music. My Tamzed also loves playing soccer. In the evening he has to play soccer with his dad. He is very naughty. He throws his ball out of the street so that his dad has to run and get it. So he is quite funny you should say. And sometimes he has his tantrum. He doesn't know how to express himself because he is nonverbal. So he is grabbing my hand, grabbing my hair, tries to make me understand, and sometimes he's grinding his teeth. But other than that, he is a lovely young man.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3610.0,3720.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/86","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: It's so nice to learn more about him. Even you said like he is nonverbal, but it just sounds like music is his language","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3720.0,3728.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/87","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: Exactly","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3728.0,3729.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/88","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi:  and he is trying his best to communicate with you with other, in different ways. It's beautiful to hear more about him. Thank you. So your journey of being a mother of a autistic kid [started] 23 years ago. It's still an ongoing journey 23 years later. Can you give us one example of the good thing and the one example of another gap you think we still have to fill together?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3729.0,3758.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/89","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: There are so many instances I could remember. There are gaps, but there are I can see the society as a whole is evolving better. There are more awareness about autism or IDD population. People are understanding more. I think the schools are making it understanding on the [millennials] because they are more sensitive towards these kids. Once I was in Atlantic City and it was a very crowded place and somehow Tamzed was lost. I could not find him and it was such a horrifying moment. I thought that I have lost him forever, I would not find him. And about half an hour the whole entire family was searching him in the boardwalk and there was no sign of him. And you cannot imagine how lost we were feeling at that moment. But I was running through the boardwalk and then after half an hour or 45 minutes, when I was at the end of the boardwalk, I saw Tamzed standing with a man who understood that he has some kind of disability and he was just standing with him so that he doesn't go away to some place.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3758.0,3840.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/90","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So I should say people are more understanding that there are people who are not like them, but they need attention and they need protection at the same time. So before it was I would give you an incident. When Tamzed was only a four-year-old, I went to a McDonald's, and that time Tamzed didn't learn how to sit in a chair. He used to walk around. And he was sitting with me, but I was preparing his food, and in a split of a second he got up and went to the next table and there were a couple of kids who were very annoyed. Why Tamzed is there? And they said, why you are here? Go to your mom. And that started kind of a fight. And then that time I understood that they are not understanding that there are people who are not like them.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3840.0,3896.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/91","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: So I went to their table. I told them that he's a autistic kid and you have to understand autistic kid have lot of attributes that you don't understand. He cannot sit down and that's why he's there. He's not bothering you, but he's trying to be [friends] with you. And after telling that they were looking at me and then they understood that, yeah, maybe there is something they don't understand. So I should say people are understanding more. When he was a four-year-old, that was a time when people were learning. And I should say still now people are learning, but I think there are more awareness right now with the IDD population around the society.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3896.0,3944.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/92","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Thank you so much for that story. I think our interview has come to end. Is there anything I didn't cover in the interview but you would [unclear] audience to know?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3944.0,3955.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/93","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: I should say that especially with the immigrant community, there is a shyness come out with a disability. I should say that we never try to hide our diabetes, our high blood pressure. Why we should be hiding our disability with our children? They have intellectual disability, they have cerebral palsy, they have autism. There is nothing to be ashamed of. We should bring it out and get help for your son and daughter, and only that way we are helping our children, helping the society. The more we bring them out, the more people will understand that they're part of our society. They will learn to accept them. And the more we accept as a society, this IDD population, the better we are, better we can help the whole community as a whole. So I should ask all the parents out there, please bring out your children, bring them with you to any common places, to a private place. Don't be ashamed. They can scream, they can have tantrum, but that is okay. People will understand. So let's grow together.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=3955.0,4027.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/94","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Thank you. Thank you so much. That's just beautiful. Thank you.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=4027.0,4032.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/95","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Rubaiya Rahman: No, thank you. You have given me so much space to tell my story and I'm really grateful.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=4032.0,4039.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620/transcript/78785/annotation/96","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dian Zi: Thank you.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/146676/file/270620#t=4039.0,4041.03837"}]}]}]}