A year ago I spent a lot of time blogging about Barack Obama. As the U.S. election neared, I liked what I heard from him–concrete statements, not just pseudo-promises with no teeth like Mr. McCain was giving us here in the U.S..
After the inauguration, I blogged Change and Hope, taking two of the catch-words from the campaign.
Stimulus money was applied to autism research. Tom Insel (head of NIMH and chair of the IACC) gave credit to the fact that they had a Strategic Plan in place. It is easier to justify spending money when you can tell someone (the president in this case) exactly what you intend to do. Dr. Insel noted that in a recent meeting, Mr. Obama restated his commitment to allocate $1B towards autism research.
The Whitehouse’s web site includes a page on disability policy. A few of the steps Mr. Obama has taken include appointing a special adviser on disability policy and applying over $12B in stimulus money towards IDEA (special education funding–the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act).
What we haven’t seen yet is the appointment of an “Autism Czar”, or an increase in IDEA funding to full levels. Also, the IDEA funding from the stimulus money is not a long term commitment.
This has been a very tough year for Mr. Obama. He came in to office with a major economic crisis and (or compounded by!) two wars ongoing. Those are huge distractions for anyone, but I would like to see focus applied especially on long-term, full funding of IDEA.
I am curious as to what other people think of promises made during the election and where we stand now.
Left Brain Right Brain 
why do we need an ‘autism czar’? It’s not the only disability out there…. Maybe ‘czars’ for different kinds of disabilities – neurodevelopmental – mental health – physical, etc???
I agree with more funding for Idea though
navi,
I don’t think we need an autism Czar. But, I hate to see a politician make a promise and quietly forget. He did make a disability advisor, something new (to my knowledge). If he wanted to say that incorporated his “Autism Czar” into something more general, I would accept that.
Personally, I never expected that Mr. Obama would even remember the promises he made to the “autism community” – he’s a politician and can be counted on to say whatever he thinks will earn him more votes at that moment. Now that he’s won the election, he’s doing all he can to win the next election. If that involves appointing an “Autism Czar”, he’ll eventually do that. If not….well, let’s just say I’m not expecting anything any time soon.
I don’t say this because I don’t like Mr. Obama or his policies – I say this because he’s a politician and his behaviors are predicated on his desire to remain in office. No matter who is elected, their interest in autism research or autism support will depend largely on how many votes they think they will win (and/or how many campaign contributions they will receive). Given the relatively small size of the “autism community” (compared, say, to trade union membership), I think that we can expect, at most, a few kind words and Mr. Obama’s best wishes.
Frankly, I think that less political attention to autism research would be a GOOD thing. Politicians tend to be very “results oriented” and their support generally leads to “distortions” in the research.
If you think that is an overly broad statement, think how Sen. Harkin or Rep. Burton would write a bill giving research money for autism. Do you think they would want the research done by reputable people with a proven track-record in legitimate autism research or would they “skew” the bill to make it more likely that the money would go to “researchers” who are favored by the “vaccines-cause-autism” movement?
On the other hand, more support to people with autism, to parents with autistic children and to people who want to develop long-term support programs for people with autism might be welcome, as long as it, too, didn’t get side-tracked onto somebody’s “pet project” for autism.
From personal experience, I have learned that it is best to NOT count on government support when planning for the future, as funding priorities change with the wind (and administrations) and what is “vital” today can become “waste” after the next election. Rather than depending on the benevolance of a transient occupant of elected office, I am working to build “grass-roots” community support.
Once the people of the community see support for people with disabilities as important, it will happen, regardless of the vagaries of political office-holders or even the ups and downs of the economy. In fact, my experience has shown that the sort of “top-down” programs that Mr. Obama might design are the most likely to fail when he leaves office (as he eventually must).
Prometheus
I would like to see more money go to support for families. While everyone is running around looking for miracle cure, children with autism are growing up. What happens to them in the future if there is nothing in place?
Just to add…turns out Age of Autism was not pleased…they have a post up today….laced with all kinds of hate for any kind of neurodiversity…
Mary Ann,
I saw the post on AoA. They usually try to avoid referring to us by name.
Jake Crosby will fail in his attempt to derail the nomination of Ari Ne’eman. Jake Crosby will fail because he relies on incorrect information. Mr. Crosby can tell the crowd at the Age of Autism that Ari Ne’eman doesn’t think autism is a disability, but he is wrong.
Here is a statement Mr. Ne’eman made to Lisa Jo Rudy at autism.about.com
Jake Crosby is just demonstrating himself to be a purveyor of misinformation. The Age of Autism readership appreciates his approach, but it won’t serve him well in the long run.