Earlier this week, Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton released a plan to support people with autism and their families. The Clinton campaign is the first to propose a formal plan on this topic. We hope there’s more to come from all of the candidates on their ideas for federal policies to help people with autism and other disabilities and to support their families.
In Illinois the primary election is set for March 15th. Do you know what disability positions the candidates in your area have taken? Do they even have a position?
You should know!
Elected officials vote on special education funding & regulations, housing, employment, health care, and other important disability services/supports. We need elected officials to understand our issues and that everyone can live a full life in the community!
Heading to Chicago today to meet with Dept of Human Services Secretary Dimas.
Tony
Hillary Clinton’s Plan to Support Children, Youth, and Adults Living with Autism and their Families
Hillary Clinton is announcing a wide-ranging autism initiative—including screening, diagnosis, treatment, services, safety and legal protections for individuals on the autism spectrum across the lifespan, steps to ensure they are treated with dignity, partnerships to help them secure employment, support for families and caregivers, and a commitment to increase research funding to deepen our understanding of autism. More than 3.5 million Americans are believed to have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to a CDC estimate, one in every 68 children in the United States was identified as having ASD in 2010. And the costs of treatment and services are beyond the abilities of most families. Improving support for children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families can vastly improve their lives and open the door to more sustainable costs for Medicaid and other public programs as services are delivered using integrated, community-based approaches. And these proposals will not only help people with autism and their families but also will benefit others with developmental disabilities.
Hillary Clinton believes that our country must make supporting individuals and families with autism a priority—for the millions of people living with autism and their loved ones, and millions more who will be diagnosed in the future. As president, Clinton will:
- Conduct a nationwide early screening outreach campaign to ensure that all children, and in particular children from underserved backgrounds, can get screened for autism.
- Push states to require health insurance coverage for autism services in private insurance plans as well as marketplace plans offered in the state so that people with autism are not turned away.
- Launch the Autism Works Initiative to extend new resources and establish public-private partnerships that will connect people with autism with employment opportunities.
- Authorize the first-ever adult autism prevalence study in the U.S. so that we improve our understanding of how to identify, serve, and support adults on the autism spectrum..
Tony Paulauski
Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@thearcofil.org