PBS Short Film Festival

My name is Sandra Charbonneau.

I live in Tower Street in Illinois.

And I'd like to tell you a little bit about my son.

John was born in 1966 on July 13th.

For over a year, we thought he was safe because he didn't react to the noise.

I took him everywhere.

I wanted to diagnosis.

I wanted answers, and they.

They couldn't give me answers because they weren't, they diagnose you at that time as being hopelessly retarded.

But I knew there was something else.

I'm one of his best friends, and he's likewise.

Jonathan has autism.

I help him with the nuances, things that are difficult for him to navigate.

So my navigator.

The piccolo is my favorite because it plays the highest.

I also know how to play the flute, alto flute, and bass flutes.

The E-flat and B-flat clarinets, soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones.

And the violin, viola, cello and the string bass.

And I also know how to get music as opposed to noise out of the keyboard.

It was on Sesame Street that I first learned about Superman as he was talking about the letter S, and I believe in the ideals that he represents.

And so there's only one reason why he does no mischief, let alone anything criminal or evil.

He chooses not to out of respect for morale.

When we had sidewalk sales, one of my customers said, hey, did you sell that chair?

And I was like, no.

And they said, well, someone just walked off with it.

So I went around the corner, you know, went up to the guy.

We got into a confrontation of sorts, and it escalated rather quickly.

I probably looked scared, and all of a sudden I just remember out of the corner of my eye, I looked to the left and I saw, a cape, and I saw Jonathan's cape flying.

He came towards Jonathan.

Jonathan did some sort of little Vulcan death grip very gently on his shoulder, and the guy was just stopped in his tracks, and he gave the chair back to us, told us we were crazy, and pulled away in his Mercedes.

At that point, I think we solidified a very close relationship.

Jonathan was bullied by kids, but he was also bullied by teachers, the boys who sat behind him.

So it was funny to poke him in the back.

And of course he did react.

Any child would react, but because he was autistic, he didn't report the poking in the back and they put him in the hallway.

They didn't ever ask him, why did you have the outbursts?

I was afraid to complain to my parents because of fear of ending up in further trouble, because the teachers had be convinced that I was in the wrong.

But he'd come home and I would ask, and he would tell me.

And I pulled his shirt up and he had blue marks all over its back.

One time, while on the way home from school on the day for the holiday break, one of the troublemakers tried to set my pants on fire with a lighter.

Helmet.

It was very frightening.

I trained in the martial Arts Sky center, as I've been training there for over 23 years and currently have a fourth degree black belt and I'm working towards fifth.

I think karate has helped him tremendously, but I am afraid I was against it at first because karate involves weapons and you have to be very good at the weaponry.

There is this pledge against bullying and I don't ever want to allow that.

I, I know what it's like to be on the receiving end, and I have no desire to ever do that to anyone, nor allow it to happen to anyone.

Superman does not do it.

I will not do it, and I will not want to allow it to happen.

Most people know Jonathan Charbonneau as a superman.

The 52 year old with special needs has been a fixture at parades in west suburban Glen Ellen for nearly three decades.

That's why the community is rallying around him in a big way, to make sure he doesn't have to move after his rent nearly doubled.

Jonathan lived in the same apartment for, I think, about 27 years.

They sold the building and it was purchased by a landlord that did not care about the tenants.

I've never seen them more frightened and devastated.

We tried to get a cap on his rent because there's no way he could afford that.

That didn't work, so we started a GoFundMe.

When Julie first started the GoFundMe page, the goal was to raise enough money to cover the rent difference for a year.

We just shared it with, you know, our friends on Facebook and, you know, people in town shared it.

Less than a day later, it was up to 40,000, and I, I kind of freaked out because I thought, this is way over my head.

I don't know what we're doing here.

It went around the world.

We had people contact us from New Zealand to buy.

We moved Jonathan within a 3 to 4 month period.

It's a great, great place for him.

He's happier being.

This is the first year they've moved the parade off of the the same route he's been used to.

Our downtown is completely torn up and actually closed.

There was some apprehension about change.

Apprehension about the fact that he can't walk out of his apartment and right over to the starting line.

But we've worked through that.

We remembered that it's all about the parade.

It's all about the kids.

He was good to go.

I love marching in the parade.

Is Superman on the 4th of July.

As ever since having overcome my fear of parades, I had the desire to be in it.

I admired her as as a mother myself, of a son with special needs.

I can commiserate with her on trying a million different things, but she she doesn't give up.

She never did.

Sandra's amazing.

Everyone is nice to me.

I know.

After I'm gone, he's going to need somebody.

And I prayed that it would be somebody who would understand his needs.

And I have to thank Julie for that.

And for all the battles that she's fought on his behalf, that I couldn't fight anymore.

And Julie can advise, and she's better than I ever was.

And it's so I'm grateful.

For.

It's been a journey.

It's been interesting.

On the opportunity.

Every autistic person is unique.

I'm Jonathan.