Autism challenges shared with state legislators
by Julia
Last week I was part of an Easter Seals delegation that attended the 2008 Legislative Summit hosted by the National Conference of State Legislatures in New Orleans. This is the fourth summit Easter Seals has attended. As in previous years, we hosted an exhibit booth where we described our programs and services. This year we also gave a presentation on “State and Federal Activities Related to Autism,” co-sponsored by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.
Now that I’m back in D.C., I’ve had time to reflect on what a great conference this was. New Orleans served as a fitting backdrop to engage state legislators and legislative staff in a dialogue to address the unmet needs of people with autism.
Our 2008 State Autism Profiles, distributed at our booth and during our session, were a hit — providing everyone with factual, objective descriptions of what the 50 States, D.C. and Puerto Rico are doing for people with autism. Easter Seals and the Autism Society of America worked together to create these useful profiles.
Coincidentally, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal recently signed a bill into law (H.B. 958) on July 1 that provides health insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders in individuals younger than 17 years old. The timing couldn’t be better!