voiceability

  The Gomez Family photo by Annie Uyehara How Nora Gomez found Empowerment and Broke through Barriers By Annie Uyehara Gomez felt lost and powerless when she began the journey for parents with autistic children, but discovered resources in surprising places. When her son Derek was diagnosed with autism at age three, she was devastated. “I felt like the world was crumbling on me, I didn’t have any information on autism because of the language barrier,” says Gomez, who speaks some English but uses help from her friend, Cecelia Rios. Her pediatrician told her to get help from a social worker along with an autism therapy program called Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)—both used Spanish speakers who helped her with Derek’s diet, occupational and speech therapy, scheduling his day, and helped Derek with his fears. “He feared going to the park, how to cross the street, and to get on public buses,” recalls Gomez. “The lights really turned on for Derek with ABA. He was more independent, he tal