JOHNSTON, R.I. (WLNE) — The recent case of a missing, non-verbal, autistic woman in Cranston brought up an important point for advocates: how situations like these highlight just how critical community education and awareness truly are. In March, Linda Delomba was found in the back of a car aft er being missing for five days. Joanne Quinn, the executive director for ‘The Autism Project,’ said this specific scenario hit close to home, especially now during Autism Acceptance month. “That story is heartbreaking,” Quinn said. “Imagine being a parent of a 29-year-old young man who is out in the world and relies on direct support personnel to get him through his day, and that’s my son, and that’s why I am here.” Quinn has been with ‘The Autism Project’ for 23 years now. She said their mission aims to define what autism really is, and they’re working to build stronger connections within the community. “I think the biggest misconceptions is that everybody with autism is the same; they have the same talents, the same struggles, the same personalities, and they don’t. We are all different individuals,” Quinn said. The non-profit offers trainings to the community and hosts groups and programming on site to learn about living with autism. “If you meet someone with autism, you need to ask the caregiver or even the person themselves, ‘how can I best support you? What is it that you need so you can be successful in this group or activity?’ We need to understand them and what they need,” Quinn concluded. Categories: News, Rhode Island ...read more read less