The stimulus plan: what’s in it for people with autism?


Posted by Beth Finke on February 23rd, 2009

Here’s an understatement for you: that stimulus package President Obama signed into law last week is huge. It’s a bit daunting, too. To help sort through all the changes, the Disability Policy Collaboration (The Arc of the United States, combined with United Cerebral Palsy) lists the amount of increased spending disability specific programs will receive from the time the bill is enacted through 2010. The list highlights different topics — health, unemployment insurance, housing, etc. Here are some of the changes I think could especially affect people with autism and other disabilities:

* NIH Biomedical Research: $10 billion for increased research.

EDUCATION

* Special Education: $11.3 billion for the IDEA State Grant Program and $500 million for the IDEA Part C Early Intervention Program. $400 million for the pre-school program.

SOCIAL SECURITY

* SSI: A one-time emergency payment of $250 to people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security, disabled veterans, and other selected benefits. SSA Disability Backlog and Claims: $500 million to help the Social Security Administration reduce the processing time for claims and appeals decisions.
* SSA Modernization: $500 million to replace the antiquated National Computer Center.

Employment

*Vocational Rehabilitation: $540 million for VR State Grant.

For more information go to the DPC website.


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4 Responses to “The stimulus plan: what’s in it for people with autism?”

  1. Mindy Gibbs Says:
    March 5th, 2009 at 9:03 am

    How do parents access any of these additional funds or services if their children do not have medicaid or social security?

  2. Beth Finke, blog moderator Says:
    March 9th, 2009 at 1:27 pm

    Mindy – thanks for your question about whether parents can access economic recovery funds if their children do not receive Medicaid or Social Security benefits. I forwarded your question to Katy Beh Neas, Vice President of Government Relations here at Easter Seals Headquarters. Her response follows, please feel free to comment to our blog again any time you have more questions.
    Here from Katy Neas:

     The details of how states are going to allocate the economic recovery funds are just now coming out and I think that now is a great time for parents to
    indentify the needs of their children and find out if these needs can be met with these funds.  For example, states are getting a significant amount of
    funds to support special education.  School districts will be the recipient of the bulk of these funds. So, if your child could benefit from a piece of
    assistive technology or his or her teacher needs additional training to meet his/her needs, now would be the time to push these ideas.  You can start with
    your child’s teachers and principal.

     Good luck!

  3. Thersa Warren Says:
    April 26th, 2009 at 12:04 am

    My 18 year old son has been having difficulty with school and socialization since the age of 5. He has been diagnosed with ADD, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Asperger’s Syndrome. At the age of 16, he left school after years of being bullied, and called names by other students. As of now, he never leaves his room, and has no friends. He would like very much to have a regular life, but niether he nor I know how to help him.
    No one wanted to help us because he had no insurance, and so he has suffered in silence for years now.
    Easter Seals is just now beginning to evaluate his needs, and I pray they can assist him in achieving a normal life someday…I am completely lost as to how to help my son…

  4. Patricia Wright Says:
    April 28th, 2009 at 10:02 pm

    Theresa – I too hope that Easter Seals is able to support you and your son and address some of his needs. The Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support (OASIS) http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/ is a wonderful website that is full of resources that specifically address the needs of individuals with Asperger’s. There are many resources on this site that may offer you some additional ideas on how to support your son.

    Self advocacy is also important for your son. As he grows into adulthood I have no doubt that you have dreams of him growing into a confident young adult. The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership (GRASP) http://www.grasp.org/index.htm is an organization led and governed by individuals with Asperger’s. The resources on their website may allow your son to see how others with Aspergers have accessed support to meet their needs. Many individuals with Aspergers report that high school years were really challenging. Connecting with others for peer support can be helpful.

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