Dr Radica Mahase has been a historian and an educator for 29 years. Currently, she is a senior lecturer in history at the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago.
Over the last few years, Mahase has emerged as a social advocate with a strong voice. This month, her NGO, Support Autism T&T (SATT), is celebrating its tenth anniversary. As a main caregiver to her autistic nephew, Rahul, she was distressed over the challenges faced in diagnosing him and accessing education and therapy services. She could not find opportunities for her nephew, so she decided to create them herself, and out of desperation, she started SATT.
For the past ten years, she created a team that hosted more than 1,500 autistic children and adults at sensory-friendly events. They have facilitated approximately 600 workshops and sensitisation sessions for parents/educators, corporate entities, and community groups. The NGO trained more than 3,000 youth volunteers and advocates. So far, 165 autistic children and adults accessed programmes at Rahul’s Clubhouse, an autism centre in south Trinidad.
In 2023, Mahase was awarded the Chaconia Medal Silver for her work in education, advocacy, and volunteerism. Mahase shares some of the lessons she has learnt in her ten years as a social advocate.
Here are the ten lessons I have learnt in my ten years as a social advocate.
1. Legal and financial policies make it difficult for small NGOs to operate and survive.
Our policies make it difficult for NGOs to operate. It took eight months to register the NGO because of bureaucracy. In SATT’s case, I did everything myself, simply because we could not afford to pay a lawyer, etc, and it took five trips to the Ministry of Legal Affairs in Port-of-Spain before we were successfully registered. Smaller NGOs cannot afford to pay for financial audits. Getting NGO status is an extremely long wait. It seems as if the system is meant to stifle smaller NGOs.
2. You have to be clear about what you want to get where you are going.
If you decide to pursue something, you have to be very clear about what you want. It is easy to get distracted and lose focus on your objectives. When I started SATT, I knew that I wanted to create opportunities for our autistic children and adults to socialise and engage in activities. Then COVID struck, and we were taken up with distributing hampers and devices. Soon, parents were expecting us to do this, and although we continued as much as we could, I quickly realised that we were losing our focus, and we needed to get back to our main goals.
3. NGOs are like a mafia.
This whole NGO world in T&T is based on who you know and who knows you. If you are a ‘nobody’, then don’t expect to get funds from large corporations, banks, etc. The NGO world is all about social and political connections, which influence funding and fundraising activities. Sadly, there are NGOs that get funding because of their connections, but the funds are not reflected in the work they do. Many use funds to pay their directors high salaries rather than help people. At the same time, there are many smaller NGOs that are impacting change but do not get funds from the Government or larger corporations because they are not connected to the ‘right people.’
4. The biggest help comes from the ‘small man.’
I can emphatically state that the only reason we have survived, grown, and accomplished all that we have done in ten years is because of support from ordinary individuals and small/medium businesses. Never underestimate how much can be done with individual support, not only financially but also support in the form of time and talent. All our events are successful because citizens volunteer their time and energy. All the little bits add up to big experiences for people on the autism spectrum.
5. A child’s biggest supporter can be a child’s biggest obstacle to development. While I fully understand that parents and caregivers want to protect their children, this can often hinder them. Many parents don’t let their children engage in different activities because they are worried about them. You have to allow them in new spaces, let them try new things so they will know their limit. Sometimes they might surprise you. Only when you expose them, you will know what they can and cannot handle.
6. You need to surround yourself with people who encourage you to be great! There are many people who just don’t like to see others succeed. No matter how much good you are doing, there are always people who will try to cut you down. That’s why it is especially important to surround yourself with people who want you to accomplish great things. I am incredibly lucky to find that in my close friends, especially Alicia Maraj, who has been a director of Support Autism T&T from the very beginning. I found that support in my mentor, Prof Brinsley Samaroo, who supported my advocacy work with the same enthusiasm he had for my academic career. Never underestimate the power of positive role models and people who believe in you.
7. It really takes a village.
Being an individual passionate about a cause is one thing; being an individual impacting change at a national level is a whole different ballgame. Collaborations with individuals and community groups can go a long way in advocating for a cause. We keep saying it takes a village to raise a child; in the case of SATT, it took a village to accomplish all that we have done. The people that we have brought together have helped us to make a big impact.
8. Adult bullying is a real thing.
A few years ago, I was bullied on social media with comments such as, “She does not have an autistic child; it is just her nephew,” insinuating that I did not understand the challenges of raising an autistic child as I was not a parent. The bullies sought to discredit my advocacy, noting that I was “just somebody from South.” These adults bashed my youth volunteers because they were “being trained in the wrong way” by me. When we speak about bullying, we think about children, but adults can be mean, and the more you ignore them, the more vicious they can become. Ignore them anyway.
9. Not everyone will understand or support your work.
While you might be enthusiastic about your cause, not everyone is going to share that interest. I actually met people who said that people with autism should not be out in public; they are ‘dangerous’. I was told by educated adults that I was wasting my time advocating for people with disabilities. You can’t change people’s minds, so you just have to ignore them and continue with your work. My philosophy is, ‘Join me or get out of my way.’
10. Educate the younger generations if you want to change society.
It is exceedingly difficult to break some of our superstitions and beliefs of older generations, for example, getting a grandmother to understand that her grandson’s speech delay is not because ‘boys take longer to talk.’ If we want an inclusive society, we need to educate younger ones and give them opportunities to interact and socialise with persons with disabilities. That is the only way we can break down stereotypes and build a more inclusive society.
