Hillary Clinton's autism platform is transformational and empowering

[DemocratSinceBirth]

If the Democratic frontrunner wins the presidency and does even half what she promises, she’ll make an enormous difference in autistic people’s everyday lives

Hillary Clinton just made disability history. For the first time, a mainstream political candidate prioritized the rights and opinions of autistic people by embracing policies that autistic advocates and activists have rallied around for years.

Clinton’s autism plan, announced Tuesday, is well-informed and shows a grasp of the issues that few outside of disability rights circles have. If she wins the election and does even half of the things she promises, she could make an enormous difference in the everyday lives of autistic people. If she loses, she has still tremendously raised the bar on how presidential candidates can and should address autism.

Her plan focuses on necessary and sorely needed support programs for autistic people: improving employment opportunities and housing availability, significantly limiting the use of physical restraints, guaranteeing access to assistive communication technology for people who are nonverbal or have difficulty with spoken language and a specific call to do research on adult autism prevalence and needs. These issues are of vital importance to autistic people and our loved ones. No other major US presidential candidate has made these issues a part of his or her political platform.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/06/hillary-clinton-autism-plan-disability-transformation

[MADem]

1. I don't know anyone who does not know someone who is "on the spectrum."

It is an issue that NEEDS attention. The numbers keep growing...it's a crap shoot, now, if you have children, if you'll hit the autism spectrum lottery.