I have been in contact with the Baltimore/Chesapeake Chapter of the Autism Society of America about their upcoming bowling event on the 28th of October. The event, which is held at least twice a month, brings families battling autism together for an afternoon of fun and sharing. Conversing with families dealing with the same struggle is important for learning purposes and even for strength. It is at this event that I will be taking pictures to put together a slide show complete with interviews as a multimedia module. Through the organization I will also be getting in touch with a family dealing with adult autism, which is often overlooked, for another text module. I think people sometimes forget that children with autism grow-up to be adults with autism and even as adults these people still need special care and attention. It truly is a life-long battle.
Much of my focus has been on the fact that there is no known cause or cure for autism, despite the alarming increase in reported cases in the past several years not just in the United States but globally. There is no doubt that it will likely cost millions of dollars in research to find answers. We all know at this point in time how volatile the economy is and the question is: is there money available to fund such research. I found an article involving Sarah Palin (who is the mother of a special needs child) related to the topic of funding autism research. An excerpt from the article: “Alaska Governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says autism is an issue ‘near and dear’ to her heart and she can’t wait to get to work helping more than 5,000 Nevada families affected by it. However, when pressed, she was unable to provide details on a plan to do that… [Her] running mate John McCain said in the third and final presidential debate, ‘We must find out the cause of autism and help those families dealing with autism.’ McCain also promised to freeze all unnecessary spending in the federal budget.” It’s clear to see the contradiction in Palin’s comments and McCain’s promise. The McCain/Palin ticket has not made it clear how they intend to afford such research, how much they will spend, and what other programs will be cut in order to provide the funding. This is not good news for the families they are making promises to who continue to struggle.
The article does point out a more articulated plan by McCain’s opponent. “Barack Obama has released a specific plan to help the families dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has promised $1 billion annually in support and services by the end of his first term as president. He has also promised to appoint a Federal Autism Spectrum Disorder Coordinator to oversee all federal efforts and fully fund the Combating Autism Act.”
I am curious to know who the families I have and will be interviewing will be voting for come November based on the respective stances.
