Here is a post that I shared on Facebook - one last post before I leave.
As I am leaving social media, something has come to my attention that I felt the need to comment on. Those of you who know me, know that I am not one to stir up things online, but that is not the point of this post. The point is to advocate for some people who cannot advocate for themselves regarding a disturbing trend that is occurring.
For those of you who do not know, I have autism. I also have an adult daughter with autism. I am in a unique situation because of these two facts.
One of the things the federal government is currently cutting funding for is programs that are helping people with autism. Programs that help kids prepare for college, that involve kids in STEM, and help people live independently, among other things. Now these programs are at risk and so are these people with autism, like my daughter.
Let me tell you a little about my daughter, Cara. Everyone who meets her, loves her. She is smart and hard-working. If you want a job done right, especially if there are details, she will get it done as close to perfect as possible. Given the right circumstances, she would be a great employee. What holds her back is communication and some social delays. But with training she can succeed.
And isn’t that true for all of us? Don’t we all need concessions to a certain extent? And we all need training. We are all meant to do different jobs. It is just that the “concessions” made for most of us occur when we choose the job that fits us. And most jobs do require some training. That is all people with disabilities are asking for. They want help to find a job that fits them and training to help them do it!
I have one other point I would like to make. It pertains to 1 Corinthians 12, specifically verses 12 to 26. These verses talk about us all being different parts of a body. Now, if you have difficulty seeing, you do not cut out your eyes because they are faulty. Where would you be then? No, you get glasses. If you cannot hear well, you do not cut off your ears, you get a hearing aid. There are braces and joint replacements and all sorts of things to help when our body parts are not working the way they should. The same is true of God’s children. We don’t all necessarily work the same. Some of us need help to do our jobs. It does not mean we are worth any less. We are just different.
As someone with autism, who is the parent of someone with autism, I feel it is important to call attention to the disservice that is being done to us – and to all people with disabilities. If this post has struck a chord with you, please share it. Advocacy starts small, but it needs to be heard.
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