Informing Obama administration on priorities for people with autism
by Katy
Autism Awareness Month was celebrated at the White House with a working session with key stakeholders, including Easter Seals, to address the needs of children and adults with autism and their families. Senior White House officials and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius briefed us on the efforts of the Obama Administration and requested input for future activities.
Easter Seals sees the need for greater services and supports for adults with autism, especially in the areas of housing, transportation and employment. We shared our continuing commitment to work with the White House staff so that people with autism have more choices in their lives.
I was very jazzed to be among some amazingly articulate young self-advocates. As someone who has been around for a while, I know we need to have more young people coming into the world of advocacy.
Next steps will likely be some legislation to continue the programs of the Combating Autism Act. We hope the name of the legislation will change, because its not our view that we need to “combat” any person. We need to make sure that every person with autism has the ability to access the services he or she needs to live the life of his or her choosing.