Mia Binns

Pretty pastel yellows, pinks, and blues fill Mia and Luz’s colorful home in celebration of Easter this year. It’s Mia’s favorite holiday. After working a shift at Kroger and getting out of school, she occasionally brings home new, festive decor she’s purchased in celebration to add to the collection. There’s garland on the fireplace, bunny throw pillows on their couch, and colorful eggs and carrots are placed here and there.

Just downstairs is Mia’s apartment-like space where she works on homework, practices her recorder, and draws. She has folders and baskets there filled with her artwork.  Sitting on her living room couch, Mia holds up one of the many greeting card designs she has created and says, “It's for American Greetings. I drew a snail with a purple body and a red nose and a green shell with the spiral.” The card has writing on it, and she reads it aloud, “Look who's three!”

She’s been drawing animals and greeting cards since she was in Hermitage Elementary School. Her elementary teacher, Ms. Dobernic, set up a school store where other students could purchase Mia’s cards to give to family and friends. That’s where her dream began. She plans to one day sell her whimsical art to Hallmark and American Greetings and write and illustrate a children’s book.

“She is a typical adolescent. She’s amusing, knows a joke for every occasion, is smart with numbers, and has a great imagination. She likes to play with words. She loves to draw and make stories. She is a hard worker. She speaks both languages, Spanish and English. She loves spending time and playing Mario with her brother Dylan. She loves to travel to aquariums, zoos, and places where she can snorkel,” her mother, Luz, explained.

“I have pets, like a cat named Blanca and a dog named Bell. I have four frogs and eight goldfish. I have 14 pets,” Mia added.

Mia is nearing high school graduation now. She attends Valor Prep College Charter School in Nashville, where she is taking art among other classes. Luz looked carefully for a school like Valor to provide the support necessary to prepare her daughter for life after graduation. Mia was recently admitted to MNPS Community Based Training Program (CBTP) to gain advocacy, job, and social skills, and to start learning about transportation, increase her self-determination, and be prepared for independent living in the future. She has been building up those skills since she was 14 when she began volunteering at a local thrift shop while attending school.

“When they are little, you want them to be protected and supported. You want them to know where to go when it's an emergency; you want somebody by her side,” Luz added. “It is time to let go. Now that she is 17, she needs to use her own skills to be aware of her surroundings, know when to ask for help, make her own mistakes and support herself, just like a neurotypical individual.”

With the continued assistance of the CBTP, her ABA, and Vocational Rehabilitation, she will be able to explore various career opportunities, practice skills, and learn how to rely on technology to complete her work tasks independently and increase her independence in all areas of her life. Currently, Mia is trying out an Alexa smart home device and a wristwatch to maintain her schedule and remind her to stay on task on the job.

She says she likes her school and has made friends. Mia also says she likes her job at Kroger," I did wipe down the windows and organized the frames. [I like] organizing things. Because it's my favorite.” Luz not only wants to support her daughter to meet employment and independent living goals, but she also wants to support her dreams and interests, like music and acting. They have been working with Friends Life to engage that area of her life too.

Luz Belleza-Binns is a Bilingual Social Worker and a Parent Representative of the ATN for Tennessee. She leads a Latina support group with Autism Tennessee as an Autism Consultant, is a graduate of Partners for Policymaking,  and is a Volunteer Advocate for “Familias Latinas” in the Division of Education Rights at the Metro Nashville Public Defender's office. She’s been advocating for her daughter and other Tennesseans with disabilities since Mia was diagnosed with autism around two years old. “I am so happy to see that services in Tennessee are growing, and there are more resources right now than I had when Mia was two,” she said.

At home, after Mia sings a song she made about cupcakes to teach children about counting, Luz smiles big and tells her daughter how proud she is of her. Then Mia tells her mom she’s ready to leave and heads back downstairs to her room. The sound of her recorder travels up the stairs once again.

Luz believes their family has a good community, support team, and plan in place to achieve their goals as Mia transitions to adulthood. She wants other parents to know that there are options and resources out there for all children with autism to find their individualized success.

“Si se puede’ means ‘Yes, we can’. No solamente porque sólo hablamos español quiere decir que no podemos obtener recursos y ayuda para nuestros hijos. Ellos tienen derechos y si nosotros los padres nos organizamos bien, y contamos con una persona que nos asesore, podemos lograrlo,” Luz said.

She then translated, “It doesn’t matter if you only speak Spanish; that should not stop us from seeking resources and obtaining help for our children. They have rights. If we organize ourselves and have a good advocate by our side, we will make it. ”