“Man up and stop being a bully. Find other ways to try and be cool and impress your friends.”
Allen, 27, of Summerside, has a type of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome and is a client of Community Connections, a non-profit that provides various kinds of support for people in the Prince County area with intellectual challenges. He is part of the organization’s employment outreach program, part of which involves delivering utility bills door-to-door.
Allen was delivering near the intersection of Walker Avenue and MacEwen Road on May 17 when he passed a group of teenage boys. One of them, he said, yelled at him: “Hey you F***ing handicapped retard, mail isn’t a real job. Go get a real job.”
Allen said he was shocked at the outburst. He’s been delivering bills with Community Connections for several years and has never been verbally attacked before.
He didn’t confront the boys at the time, but thinking about the incident after, Allen decided he wanted to say something publicly.
He likes his job, he said, and nobody deserves to be insulted like he was.
“I just basically want to get the message out to anybody out there that is a bully to stop being a bully. Man up. Turn yourself around and be a nice guy for once instead of the opposite. People might actually want to be around you.”
What happened to Allen is distressing, said Frank Costa, executive director of Community Connections.
The employment outreach program does a lot of good in the community, not only for the employers, but also the clients, who develop skills and friendships.
“That’s what disappoints me,” said Costa.
“There’s a lot of positive outcomes with all these jobs being in the community. This is one of those unfortunate things, but it’s really atypical. A lot of our clients we work with are well received in their jobs.”
Allen is hoping to put this incident behind him, and get back to the work he enjoys.
He hopes his story will help others understand how hurtful their words can be and for those who do experience bullying to tell someone about it and get help.
It’s the only way anything will change, he said.
@JournalPMacLean
