Obama and Autism
Although it isn’t the only (or even the main) reason I support Obama, I like Obama’s treatment and attitude towards Autistic people a lot better.
Hillary supports “Autism Speaks”, which is an organization of parents who see Autism as a horrific tragedy and has a movie showing the infamous mom who was going to drive off a bridge to kill her daughter and her, but decided not to because she still has a “normal” daughter that needed her. It’s goal is to erradicate autism, not to help autistic people. They see autism as seperate from the individual. The main problem with that is that autism is probably genetic, so you can’t ”cure” autism, you have to eliminate autistic people to erradicate autism.
Obama, on the other hand, supports funding for therapies and education and things that actually HELP Autistics. He has met with adult autistics (something Hill hasn’t done, from my understanding) and talked to them about what is needed and about the discrimination people with disablities/differences have.
Although he uses the language “people with autism” also (person first language, and the “polictically correct” format for most disabilities), he also uses the term “Autistic Americans”, which is straight out of the neurodiversity / Autism acceptance movement, who don’t see autism as something seperate from their persons, but rather a difference in thinking and perception of the world, with it’s own strengths and gifts. Some of the most influential and creative minds our world has seen were on the spectrum.
For those who are unable to function without support, and there are many that fall into that category, we need education, and a much better system for supporting developmentally disabled adults in this world. The ADA needs to be expanded and enforced, there needs to be funding for training support personnel, and it needs to happen soon. The laws should protect DD people instead of being used by schools and other agencies when the “support people” and “teachers” are too lazy to do their jobs, too selfish to make any effort towards learning and training, and too intolerant to see people with differences as people with feelings.
| Support Americans with Autism. More than one million Americans have autism, a complex neurobiological condition that has a range of impacts on thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. As diagnostic criteria broaden and awareness increases, more cases of autism have been recognized across the country. Barack Obama believes that we can do more to help autistic Americans and their families understand and live with autism. He has been a strong supporter of more than $1 billion in federal funding for autism research on the root causes and treatments, and he believes that we should increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to truly ensure that no child is left behind.More than anything, autism remains a profound mystery with a broad spectrum of effects on autistic individuals, their families, loved ones, the community, and education and health care systems. Obama believes that the government and our communities should work together to provide a helping hand to autistic individuals and their families. |
| Support Americans with Disabilities: As a former civil rights lawyer, Barack Obama knows firsthand the importance of strong protections for minority communities in our society. Obama is committed to strengthening and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) so that future generations of Americans with disabilities have equal rights and opportunities. Obama believes we must restore the original legislative intent of the ADA in the wake of court decisions that have restricted the interpretation of this landmark legislation.Barack Obama is also committed to ensuring that disabled Americans receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits in a low-cost, effective and timely manner. Recognizing that many individuals with disabilities rely on Medicare, Obama worked with Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) to urge the department of health and human services to provide clear and reliable information on the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to ensure that the Medicare recipients were protected from fraudulent claims by marketers and drug plan agents. |
More and more I’ve been hoping that Obama pulls ahead of Hilary and stays there.
That’s interesting because, honestly, I hadn’t realized this was a political issue. Have you been able to find any information from either Democratic candidate on homeschooling? I noticed this question going around some of the homeschooling boards, but it seems most politicians only focus on what needs to be done with the public school system. Just curious
Except that Obama is IN Congress and has done NOTHING for people with Autism. Hillary has. For that reason I would support Hillary over Obama, though after today such support may not matter. See the link:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=hillary+clinton+autism&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8
@Jessemommy - But Obama is more talk than substance on this issue. Hillary co-authored a bill for Congress to fund autism research and assistance. See my link:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=hillary+clinton+autism&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8