Tag Archives: employment

Disability Policy: Clinton Versus Trump

In a few weeks we will have elected a new President of the United States. Many of us get our information from watching TV. The trouble with this is we only get the information the TV decides is news worthy. Unfortunately, most things concerning disability are not newsworthy. This means that rather than seeing a candidate’s disability policy on the evening news we are more likely to see a candidate’s latest purported scandal whether it is about deleted emails or admitted past sexual abuse. While these things can be informative, I think it is helpful to also understand where the two major candidates stand on issues directly affecting the disability community. Here is some of that information put side by side for comparison.

Specific Disability Plans

Trump: There is nothing specific on Trump’s website regarding any plans for any disability in particular. However, I do remember a few months back there was at least one line that said he wanted to expand mental health coverage. I believe it was in reference to veterans.

Clinton: On Clinton’s website a comprehensive plan for autism and for mental health is outlined in detail along with her plan for combating HIV/AIDS both in the United States and abroad.

The autism plan is quite comprehensive covering many areas such as expansions in early screening and insurance coverage. Additionally, several life span issues affecting autistics are addressed including plans for targeting bullying in schools, getting assistive technology to those who need it, life span caregiving for those who need it along with community living options for adults. I have just learned this morning that part of the research she is in favor of funding includes genome mapping which, if realized, will undoubtedly lead to less autistic people being born.

Her mental health plan addresses areas of earlier diagnosis and treatment, expanded insurance coverage and brain research. She emphasizes treating the whole person in an integrated fashion.

Health Insurance and Medicaid

Trump: He plans to repeal Obamacare, going back to insurance coverage as we had before Obamacare became law. In the free market health insurance plans denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions would come back into play. Additionally, the coverage of adult children to age 26 that the Affordable Care Act brought about for us all goes away leaving many of the nations young adults uninsured. Workplaces would not have to offer health insurance to employees.

Insurers would be free to offer any plan of their choosing in any state of their choosing. All health insurance premiums would be tax deductible. His plan to reduce prescription drug costs is to get the drugs from other countries where they are cheaper, but may not meet the quality and standards of our country. He supports tax-free health savings accounts.

As for Medicaid, Trump’s plan is to turn it over to the states through block grants allowing each state to use the money as they see fit to provide some or all of health care costs to Medicaid eligible individuals.

Clinton: She sees affordable healthcare as a basic human right and would expand the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and apply fixes to the parts that are not currently working well. Her goal is universal health coverage for all Americans. At this time she plans to leave Medicaid intact and expand it’s coverage to include all low-income citizens.

Clinton’s plan is to reduce co-pays and deductibles. She further plans to reduce prescription drug costs through bargaining. Mental health treatment is slated to become part of ordinary healthcare. A specific autism plan includes increased access to services across the lifespan.

Community Living/Medicaid Waivers

Note: In the past children with complex or severe medical conditions were often institutionalized. Today it is more common for families to receive a variety of support services that allow their children to remain home while receiving the medical care they need rather than being placed in institutions. The funding for these services comes through Medicaid Wavers, which turns out to be less costly than institutionalization.

Trump: No record can be found of Trump ever addressing this issue specifically. However, he has stated that mental institution and mental health programs in this country need to be reformed without giving any details on how he proposes to do so.

Clinton: There are numerous plans on Clinton’s part which include

~~ Supporting Developmentally Disabled Act along with creating the Autism Plan that both allow for or expand support services at home for all children with disabilities, especially support services to caregivers

~~ Strongly supporting the Olmstead decision that allows individuals with disabilities to live in community settings and has a plan to ensure each state is in accordance with carrying out this provision

~~ Plan for expanded support provided to individuals that make it possible for them to live in a variety of community settings

In conclusion, it is helpful to look at these candidate’s websites and to listen to their campaign speeches. It is also important to me to see how they have treated people with disabilities over the course of their own life and during the course of this presidential campaign.

While Trump has only discussed disability in reference to veterans and has publically mocked a news reporter with a disability, Clinton has spent her life working on behalf of individuals with disabilities. She has outlined plans to support people with disabilities to live in integrated community settings, to improve employment with fair wage opportunities and to provide tax relief to caregivers. Clinton has been the only candidate to give an entire campaign speech on disability rights. She is the only candidate to articulate both a comprehensive plan for mental health and a comprehensive plan for autism.

While it is good that Trump is concerned about disability issues for veterans, it is much more inclusive that Clinton is concerned about disability issues for a much wider range of people affected by disability as evidenced by thought out plans including a way to pay for them.

For me personally, even though I am well able to compare and contrast where the candidates land on issues I also have a personal question I ask of myself before voting. As President, who will put each of us closer to the reality of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – Trump or Clinton? For too many disabled people alive today this has not ever been reality.

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BOOKS  BY JUDY ENDOW

Endow, J. (2019).  Autistically Thriving: Reading Comprehension, Conversational Engagement, and Living a Self-Determined Life Based on Autistic Neurology. Lancaster, PA: Judy Endow.

Endow, J. (2012). Learning the Hidden Curriculum: The Odyssey of One Autistic Adult. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2006).  Making Lemonade: Hints for Autism’s Helpers. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2013).  Painted Words: Aspects of Autism Translated. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2009).  Paper Words: Discovering and Living With My Autism. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2009).  Outsmarting Explosive Behavior: A Visual System of Support and Intervention for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2010).  Practical Solutions for Stabilizing Students With Classic Autism to Be Ready to Learn: Getting to Go. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Myles, B. S., Endow, J., & Mayfield, M. (2013).  The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Originally written for and published by Ollibean on October 25, 2016.
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Autism and Public Perception

Today we have added something to our public perception of autism. Historically that perception has been one of an isolated small child rocking or head banging, oblivious to the rest of the world. Even though that perception is wrong, it is the public perception. There is an addition to that perception in the past few years. It seems society has added an adult image of autism. It is another false image, but never-the-less, quickly becoming an accepted public image of what it means to be an adult autistic. Unfortunately for all of society, that image is of a shooter. Not any shooter, but a mass shooter.

With each mass shooting tragedy, an interesting phenomenon occurs. If the shooter is a person of color we label the event as an act of terrorism. If the shooter is white we pull out the mental health or autism angle.

Most of the mass shootings in the USA have been by young adult white males. Early on in the reporting, when the nation is glued to the news story, autism is questioned. It seems to be the new favorite buzzword of news reporter’s sense making of mass shootings by young adult white males.

The fact of the matter is that of the almost 50 mass shootings in the USA in recent times almost none of the shooters were autistic. Even so, the public perception that shooters are autistic has been developed. The way this happens is that early on, when we are all paying attention to the news on the newest mass shooting tragedy, the autism question is raised. Then, several days later, when most of us are no longer closely following the story, the fact that the shooter was not autistic surfaces.

Because autism was connected early on in the reporting of shootings, it sticks in the minds of the general public. Even though it is not true it has now become pseudo public knowledge and therefore a generally held societal belief that mass shooters are autistic.

I realized the public image of adult autistics as mass shooters has taken hold because of the following things that have happened recently in my life:

  • In two separate school consultations in the past 6 months school staff have expressed concern that their particular student would become a shooter. One student was a fourth grader who had a behavior of dropping to the floor while screaming and crying. The other student was a seventh grader who pushed his books off his desk and yelled, “no” in response to becoming overwhelmed. I have been an autism consultant in schools for many years. These behaviors are typical results of disregulation in students with autism. When sensory diets and visual supports are put in place the behavior typically subsides. Never before in all the years I have consulted have school staff voiced concern that students with these sorts of behaviors might become a mass shooter.
  • I was told by an acquaintance that I could become the next mass shooter because I am autistic. This person went on to tell me that everybody knows autistic people do not have empathy and therefore have no feelings for others. I was told that it is impossible for me (or any autistic) to be a caring or compassionate person and therefore I could be the next mass shooter. This belief is wrong. The facts are autistics do have empathy and do have all the same feelings other people have. Most of the time autistics experience feelings so intensely it causes an emotional shut down. Unfortunately, when John Q. Public holds an erroneous image of adult autistics as shooters, all the facts in the world do not change his belief that he now considers factual.
  • An autistic acquaintance reported her eight-year-old autistic son woke her up in the wee hours of the morning very upset and crying. He expressed fear that he would shoot people when he grew up because he was autistic.
  • A Facebook hate page popped up called Families Against Autistic Shooters. Petitions were signed more than once in attempts to get Facebook to remove the page. Once it was removed it took but a few hours before it was again up and running. Here is a link to a story about this https://www.yahoo.com/health/internet-rallies-to-remove-facebook-page-linking-013122755.html

It seems our society has adopted yet another false belief around autism. I am quite concerned over how this might play out. We are living in a time when we are in need of putting together increasing numbers of transition programs that include housing for our young adults needing that sort of support. What will this mean in terms of employment and housing opportunities for our young adults on the spectrum?

Even though this has untold impact on autistic people themselves, it is a larger societal issue. As there become more and more supposed reasons to shove autistic people out of their rightful place in society please know that this sort of set up, if allowed to continue, will short change all of society. Autistics may need supports to live in this world AND autistics have contributed mightily to our modern society. We would not be using many modern inventions, electronics, medical advances, and technology if it were not for the contribution of autistic people over history. Society cannot afford to squelch the contributions of autistics alive today or of those who will be born in the future. To do so would be like cutting off our nose to spite our face.

Therefore, I encourage all people who fashion themselves to reasonably intelligent not to swallow hook, line and sinker, the assumption that shooters are autistic. It is false and it will only lead to you developing an unfounded fear. Whenever fear of an already marginalized group occurs history has shown that the results are horrific. Please do not be part of society going there. You can inform yourself.

If you want to read about the history so as not to repeat it check out Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman.

If you want to get a true picture of what autistic people are like and you have an aversion to finding out from actually autistic people, please read Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry Prizant.

Both books were released late summer of this year.


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BOOKS  BY JUDY ENDOW

Endow, J. (2019).  Autistically Thriving: Reading Comprehension, Conversational Engagement, and Living a Self-Determined Life Based on Autistic Neurology. Lancaster, PA: Judy Endow.

Endow, J. (2012). Learning the Hidden Curriculum: The Odyssey of One Autistic Adult. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2006).  Making Lemonade: Hints for Autism’s Helpers. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2013).  Painted Words: Aspects of Autism Translated. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2009).  Paper Words: Discovering and Living With My Autism. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2009).  Outsmarting Explosive Behavior: A Visual System of Support and Intervention for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2010).  Practical Solutions for Stabilizing Students With Classic Autism to Be Ready to Learn: Getting to Go. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Myles, B. S., Endow, J., & Mayfield, M. (2013).  The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Originally written for and published by Ollibean on October 12, 2015
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