Susan Senator

The Sunday September 18 New York Times ran a beautiful, accurate piece on being autistic and making your way in the adult world.  I expect we’ll see a lot more of this kind of piece in the years to come.  The article took my breath away because, of course, there are so many similarities to Nat and his friends’ lives.  The wave is a-comin’…  this country had better learn how to swim.  And that means holding close to the programs that make it possible for adults with developmental disabilities like autism to contribute to society rather than talking to themselves on street corners (not that there’s anything wrong with that, unless it means you are indigent and unsafe).  Medicaid and SSI and Social Security are not programs to be toyed with; just consider what else would happen to these vulnerable but viable human beings without them.

We have a generation of young disabled people who have grown up with education, therapy, medication, inclusion, and optimism.  Who knows what they will be able to do for the world if they can lean on the rest of us for a little balance.