I’m putting the series of Autistic/Aspie Social Skills on hold because I’m in the process of changing venues. I appreciate Ability 300 allowing us to use their facilities free of charge, but there has been a problem with people being able to read the PowerPoints due to design of the classroom. So in June, I’ll be moving to my church that that will let us use the fairly large flat screen TV that will be perfect.
So for this month, I want a topic that doesn’t require PowerPoints. Therefore, we’ll discuss the specific needs of the Autism/Asperger’s community for both Autistics/Aspies and their parents, as well as assess the various solutions that are available. A lot of the programs are simply not as effective as advertised due to inadequate funding and/or some of the caseworkers/care providers that are just there to collect a paycheck. Having volunteered to help the refugee community, I’ve observed them “hit the wall” in terms of the programs reaching their limits in terms of how much they can help their clients improved their quality of life. It’s at this point that the refugees ban together and fend for themselves.
So my goal isn’t to change the system, its to alleviate its burden by figuring out how to solve our own problems while minimizing our dependency on taxpayer funded bureaucracies and organizations. A great example of this are all of the housing programs out there for us. The thing is, I didn’t get diagnosed until I was 40, yet I’ve been living by myself since I graduated from high school (with a few brief exceptions in which chronic employment issues made it impossible). I know a number of other Autistics/Aspies who have had the same success in this area as I have. So why not give us the opportunity to be volunteer role models to the Autistic/Aspie community in this area? Just because some Autistics/Aspies don’t have the ability to have my level of independence doesn’t mean that those who do should be denied the opportunity because of those who don’t.
As I’ve stated many times before, the less taxpayers money that its spent on those who can be taught to not need it, the more money that’s available for those who have to have it. This is the mindset that I’ve been trying to get the Autism community to open its mind to since I became a self-advocate back in 2010, and it’s the approach that I take whenever discussing this subject.
aacphoenix.com 