Summer, 2021. TATTS U.S. (TATTS) is excited to announce our first international affiliate; TATTS China. TATTS China was started by Mr. Thomas Li and successfully held their first drone event for young autistic children in Guangzhou, China in the summer of 2021. Mr. Li is a drone enthusiast and discovered TATTS while researching drones. In addition, Mr. Li supported TATTS. In our 2021 season by producing videos of each outing using the imagery and videos captured by participants. TATTS used those videos to recap each previous session for participants. Beyond supporting TATTS events this summer, Mr. Li inquired with TATTS leadership about holding a drone event for a school for autistic children in his home country. After several emails and communications, Mr. Li held the successful event.
The event was held at a charity-supported Non-Governmental Organization 星智语言康复学校 (NGO) in Guangzhou, China that when literally translated means “Star-Intellect Lingual Recovery School”. The event consisted of a short presentation and simulator time for TATTS participants to practice flying. 16 participants and their families attended and enjoyed the event. Mr. Li noted, “I was so pleased that TATTS was able to help me organize a great event. It was always exciting to see more children find an interest in drones and my team and I learned a lot more about autism during the simulator training sessions with the kids. The experience was very meaningful. We look forward to working with autistic kids again next year.” Unfortunately, outdoor flying at the facility was not possible because the facility is in a restricted flight zone and it isn’t safe to fly there. Note that TATTS China’s drones (a DJI Mavic Air and Mavic 2) automatically restrict this functionality to ensure safety. Most of the children who attend this facility do so for daytime sessions only with parents or guardians. And because of that, the TATTS outing fit into their schedule and style of working with the kids. Mr. Li organized several volunteers to support the outing and has plans to do more events in 2022. Mr. Li is a high school student studying in the United States at Woodberry Forest School outside of Washington D.C.
Mr. Braun, founder of TATTS, commented on TATTS China and Mr. Li’s efforts. “We are occasionally contacted by people in the US and internationally who want to replicate the TATTS model in their community. At the time, we don’t have a published curriculum to guide others – that is a future goal of ours. However, I am thrilled that Mr. Li had the fortitude and energy to pursue this. He and his team have a bright future ahead of them! We were very pleased with the results and are thrilled to know that our work is being replicated in other parts of the world.”
Below are images from the event. For privacy reasons, we have blurred the faces of participants.
