Solon’s First Tolerance Fair Had an Overwhelming Response

People gathered at the Solon Community Center Sunday to learn and share their experiences about tolerance.  The seed for this tremendous event was the  result of  Justin Bachman’s experience during a cross-county meet.

Thirteen-year-old Justin, who has Tourette syndrome (a neurological disorder), was ostracized during the sporting event by officials who did not understand his tics.

Rather than let the negative event influence him, Justin chose to help people learn and understand each other better. With the support of his parents Ron and Lisa Bachman, the city of Solon and Mayor Susan Drucker and numerous community and advocacy groups, Justin's dream grew into a nationally recognized event.

“In October of 2010, Justin, Ron and Lisa (Bachman) wanted to take a negative situation and make it positive, a chance to educate others,” Drucker said.

A chance to educate others resulted in the Tolerance Fair. This well-attended event had everyone talking. Although people expressed themselves differently, Joelle Fisher, a third-grader in Solon, summed up the vibe succinctly:  “It’s totally OK to be different.”

Justin was grateful for the support of those close to him, but he was excited about being able to reach out and to bring his message to others. “I want to inspire them” he said before taking to the stage.

Serving both as inspiration and support was Marc Elliot, who also has Tourette’s. A nationally recognized speaker, he addressed the audience with a frank yet humorous look at his life. To promote understanding he had several quick exercises to let the audience walk in his shoes for a moment. These simple simulations proved his point that it is hard to understand how others think and feel.

He was clear in making the distinction between tolerance and acceptance as he relayed embarrassing moments.

“Tolerance is the bare minimum, and acceptance is what we aspire to,” he explained. He said it's important to recognize that it's inevitable you will make assumptions about those that are different than you but "let it be just an assumption, don't make it an action." It's part of the "live and let live" philosophy Elliot supports.

Justin turned a negative situation into a positive event, received a Congressional commendation and was recognized by the city of Solon for his efforts. Marc Elliot was able to reach even more people with his energy and appeal for the value of tolerance.

The general feeling among the crowd was that the Tolerance Fair was long overdue.

People left the building with raffle prizes, T-shirts, lots of printed material, new ideas and a feeling of camaraderie. The echoes of Justin’s introductory lyrics by John Lennon still echoed through the hubbub. It seemed you could hear  “Imagine all the people sharing all the world” long after the event was over.