We're Stronger Together
So can we please explore ways to collaborate and share funding?
Recently Congress passed H.R. 261, or the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. In it was a provision increasing the age of eligibility for ABLE accounts from 26 to 46, to go into effect in January 2026. This is a HUGE win for the disability community, and we couldn’t have gotten here without a LOT of advocacy. This wasn’t an “autism” or “physical disability” issue, it was a Disability Community issue, and I’d like to see more of this.
I have concerns about too much attention being focused on the Autism community. I won’t deny there is an uptick in the number of diagnoses, although I do feel part of what contributes to this is how broad the Spectrum has become. It sounds ridiculous to my own ears, after all, my son is on the Spectrum - why wouldn’t I want to see as much funding and research as possible?
I do. I think it’s fantastic that a developmental disability has garnered this much national attention. But I would like to have some of the focus dialed back, taking a more macro approach. Autism doesn’t stand alone, many of its negative traits are similar to those with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and a host of other developmental disabilities. This means interventions that work for those on the Spectrum may be equally effective for other disabilities.
