April is national Autism Acceptance month. With multiple Shocker softball players having austistic family members, the athletes knew they wanted to bring awareness to the condition in a positive way.
The idea sparked from junior Sydney McKinney and sophomore Lauren Lucas, who both have brothers with autism. Lucas’ mother bought puzzle piece ribbons to each of the players to wear in their hair during games. The puzzle pieces represent the complexity and wide variety within the autism spectrum.
“Every year me and Lauren Lucas try to wear the ribbon just to raise awareness,” McKinney said. “I know on my social media, I like to post Autism Speaks.