Saluting Woodstock and Carleton County's military expert

New Brunswick Premier David Alward declared May 27th to June 2nd, 2012, Disability Awareness Week.

2012 is the 25th year that Disability Awareness Week has been acknowledged. It was formed in 1988 as National Access Awareness Week to promote community access for people living with physical impairments. The movement began following Rick Hansen's Man in Motion World Tour in 1986.

The acknowledgement of Disability Awareness Week was not limited to the community. High school students were taught about the importance of helping those with disabilities. We were given the opportunity to walk around Woodstock High School last week, and were shown a video from You Tube about famous people who have not let their disabilities stand in the way of accomplishments.

Upon witnessing the video about famous individuals who have treated their disabilities as abilities, I thought of my good friend Aaron Bouma.

Aaron Bouma looking over one of his
model guns at the RCMP Musical Ride
last summer.

A 2006 Woodstock High School graduate, Aaron was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome in the early 2000s. Asperger's syndrome is a form of autism, which is a spectrum disorder because of the many different spectrums of the disorder, such as Asperger's syndrome and autism disorder, just to name a few.

Those who suffer from Aspergers syndrome often have limited social skills, and their interests are centred around a few specific things.

In Aaron's case, the military is his passion. I know that I can depend on Aaron if I ever have a question about anything to do with the military or war history. He is so well-informed that it would amaze me if there was ever a question about military stuff that he did not know the answer to. But if he didn't know it, I can almost bet money that he would find the answer.

Aaron is also an advocate for inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities. He is a member of Inclusion Ambassadors, a Perth-Andover-based group composed of members that have similar disabilities who are also fighting for an inclusive society while seeing their disabilities as abilities.

Aaron was more than willing to tell his story of realizing his disability with The Shiretown Blogger for this segment of The Blogger Speaks.

"I was diagnosed with autism first when I was really young, about five or six," Aaron told The Shiretown Blogger via Facebook message. "I had delayed speech. I didn't start speaking until I was about five."

Though males are slower in learning to talk, possible signs that a child may have autism include difficulty in communicating verbally and non-verbally, social interactions and pretend play.

Aaron learned he had Aspergers syndrome a couple of years later.

"I was diagnosed with Aspergers in 2002," Aaron explained. "Before, it was just high functioning autism. I started believing it was just Aspergers."

"I knew I had OCD," he added. OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder, is an anxiety disorder caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. It leads people to check and recheck minor everyday actions repeatedly.

Aaron says the OCD was evident in some of his passions.

"[It] certainly was shown by my love and obsession, as some call it, with the military, which started before or around the year 2000," Aaron says of his passion.

"General Bouma's" passion with the armed forces has led him to spend his free time creating wooden replicas of a variety of guns used by the armed forces in nearly 30 different countries. His "inventory" of model guns has hit approximately 250. The guns are stored in a large barn behind his Jacksontown home.

Aaron often invites friends out to his home for the "Grand Tour," where he shows his collection of model guns. Guests are treated like members of the family by Aaron and his parents, Peter and Judy, and Aaron gives in-depth explanations of each model in his collection.

I was out to Jacksontown over a year ago to visit Aaron and take the Grand Tour. To this day, I am still blown away by the attention to detail and craftsmanship Aaron demonstrates.

Aaron's model guns on display at a Remembrance Day exhibit
at Fusion Cafe in November 2011. (Images courtesy of Kent Wilson)

In the fall of 2010, Aaron held a gathering in his barn to celebrate over 200 model guns. Woodstock MLA and New Brunswick Premier David Alward, his sons Jon and Ben, who are friends of Aaron's, attended the gathering. Tobique-Mactaquac MP Mike Allen, members of Inclusion Ambassadors, and other friends were also in attendance at the celebration.

New Brunswick Premier David Alward, left, presented Aaron
with a special plaque acknowledging his model gun milestone
on behalf of the New Brunswick provincial government.

Aaron and Tobique-Mactaquac MP Mike Allen looking over
one of the model guns in Aaron's barn. (Images courtesy of Aaron Bouma)

Aaron can often be seen at military-related events, along with political gatherings in the community, and spends a lot of his time working out at Reps 24 Hour Fitness Centre in Woodstock's downtown.

Aaron schmoozes with the troops at a Woodstock Slammers
military event in November 2011. 

Aaron at a Woodstock Slammers military event
in February 2012.

Aaron speaking to Bob Dallison, author of the new book A Neighborly
War, following Dallison's presentation at Connell House in April 2012.

Aaron doing a workout at Reps 24 Hour Fitness Centre. (Image 
courtesy of Aaron Bouma)

Though people who suffer from Aspergers have limited social and communication skills, however, Aaron has always been very outgoing. It is evident that, like the celebrities featured in the You Tube video, Woodstock's (and Carleton County's) military expert does not let a disability get in the way of making a positive contribution to the community and society.

"Let's stop "tolerating" or "accepting" difference, as if we're so much better for not being different in the first place. Instead, let's celebrate difference, because in this world, it takes a lot of guts to be different." -Kate Bernstein