“My name is Aundrea Wilson, and I am a Site Response Superintendent at Boeing South Carolina (BSC) as well as the chair for the BSC chapter of the Boeing Employees Ability Awareness Association (BEAAA). BEAAA is Boeing’s Business Resource Group that promotes awareness and inclusion of the disability community. The group aims to help educate teammates about how we, as a Boeing team, can be better citizens who are inclusive of everyone, no matter their abilities.
I believe it is important for everyone to understand the hard work that anyone with various abilities puts in each day, and we should respect and support them every step of the way
April is Autism Acceptance Month, which is an important time to advocate with and for the needs of people with autism. Individuals with autism struggle to adapt to a world built for those without this ability. Often times, individuals with autism have to work harder to function in the world around them–whether it be verbally, physically, mentally, or emotionally. This fact is sometimes overlooked by those who do not have the ability, which leads to judgment or lack of understanding about the struggles those with certain abilities face in our society.
As we work to better understand each of our abilities, it’s important to know that each person is unique; everyone should be treated with the same dignity and kindness, no matter the abilities we have.”
In October 2020, BSC BEAAA hosted a virtual event with the Autism News NetWORK (ANN). The group works to provide social skills and vocational training opportunities for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through the production of news and media content. A group of ANN members also visited BSC to interview several teammates, which will be featured on their social media channels and website. One of the interviews they conducted was with 787 vice president and general manager and BSC site leader, Lane Ballard. You can watch his full interview here.