We would love to introduce you to Joshua Golden! Born in Washington State, as Joshua began to develop, his mother quickly noticed differences between him and kids his age. He did not have the same level of speech as other children, and made little eye contact with those around him. After a visit to a neurologist, Joshua was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. When it came time to enroll Joshua in school, his parents discovered that his primary school segregated the students with special needs. Although there was plenty of space in the main school building for the kids with special needs, the administrators chose to isolate these students in portable classrooms, away from their classmates. The segregation of Joshua could not be tolerated by his parents, so they moved their family to California with hopes of a more inclusive education environment.

As with any big change, there were challenges and roadblocks that moving to California brought, but it the end it was the best decision for the family and has been a blessing for Joshua. In the California school system, he learned to persevere among his typical peers at school, despite their differences. Some of the students accepted him and others did not, but learning how to work with and support those that are different from you, are lifelong skills and priceless for children to obtain. The internal strength that Joshua found in school is what would give him the courage he needed to compete against typical peers in climbing.

When Joshua was in seventh grade, he enrolled in Jiu Jitsu. This is where he discovered climbing ropes and found himself to be more excited to scale those in warm-ups, then the martial arts lessons themselves. A school field trip to a climbing gym is where Joshua was first introduced to climbing. After coming home from that trip with interest in the sport, his parents immediately signed him up for climbing lessons. Soon it became very evident that climbing was Joshua’s true passion and would be a way for him to focus and excel at something he truly loved.

Shortly after starting lessons, Joshua made the decision to compete in a climbing competition, as a beginner entrant. He placed third in his first competition ever and was instantly hooked to continue training and competing. Serendipitously a new climbing gym was opening up near Joshua’s home, where he would find the perfect coach to work with. Joshua became the first member of their competition team and set a goal to qualify for divisionals during his first season competing in USA climbing.

Despite the adversity that Joshua has faced in other areas of his life, he has found a niche in climbing, and a place where he can thrive. Joshua was able to meet his goal of qualifying for Divisionals, and went on to do so in every USA Climbing Bouldering season in which he competed. He continues to train hard, set and meet new goals for himself, and inspire others like himself to go after their dreams. Today, Joshua focuses on training for and projecting outdoor bouldering routes. He has climbed advanced routes at various crags in California and Nevada, with his favorite zone being The Tramway.

We are so excited to partner with Joshua and his family, and hope that his story will inspire others like himself to find an inclusive place where they can thrive and feel accepted. Stay tuned for more blogs about Joshua and his journey, that we hope will reach those who need to be understood and those who need to understand the importance of uplifting others with different abilities.