Posthumous Medal of Freedom to RFK SENIOR

  In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.

A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.

 Another leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.  He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen."

He is now Trump's nominee to head HHS.

Michael Shear at NYT:

[Today,] Mr. Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 Americans, including some of the brightest lights of the old guard that Mr. Trump wants to tear down. In doing so, the 82-year-old outgoing president is sending an unmistakable message of support for a democratic order he has said is threatened by Mr. Trump’s re-election.

Among those receiving the award are Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, senator and secretary of state whom Mr. Trump threatened to jail; Robert F. Kennedy, the assassinated senator whose son has embraced Mr. Trump; and George Romney, the late father of Senator Mitt Romney, the Republican from Utah who repeatedly rejected Mr. Trump’s actions and philosophy.

...

His decision to give the medal posthumously to Mr. Kennedy could be read as a rebuke to Mr. Kennedy’s son, a member of perhaps the country’s most famous Democratic family. The decision by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to endorse Mr. Trump during the campaign — despite denunciations from most of his relatives — helped lead to Mr. Trump’s choice of him to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

The John Birch Society, an old ultra-right group of conspiracy theorists, plugged Robert Kennedy Jr.'s bogus claims about vaccines, including the toxic myth that they cause autism.  He even appeared on one of the group's podcasts.

His father criticized the Society.  From NYT (4/7/61):  -- "Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy termed the John Birch Society "ridiculous" today. He said people should stop paying so much attention to it."

President Biden Signs Autism CARES

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the congressional role in the issue.

 Yesterday, President Biden signed the Autism CARES Act of 2024 into law.  A release from Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ):

Comprehensive legislation authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to provide robust funding and enhanced support for Americans with autism was signed into law this week.

Smith’s Autism CARES Act of 2024 will provide more than $1.95 billion over five years for programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

“At CDC, the funding will support ongoing developmental disability surveillance and research; at HRSA, the funding will cover education, early detection and intervention services; at NIH, the funding will drive research as well as the coordination of autism-related activities, including the Inter Agency Coordinating Committee (IACC),” Smith said during debate on the House Floor on December 16th.

“As the prime author of the Autism Cares Act of 2024 and previous iterations of the law in 2011, 2014, and 2019, I know this legislation will help make a huge difference in the lives of the millions of Americans with autism by providing robust funding for durable remedies as well as effective early detection and intervention services to allow them the highest quality of life possible,” Smith said.

“According to the CDC, 1 in 36 children in the United States—including 1 in 35 children in my home state of New Jersey—are on the autism spectrum,” said Smith.

“My legislation pursues critical research goals and focuses on responsive and effective interventions for the estimated 6.8 million individuals with autism—27 percent of whom, or over 1.8 million, are profoundly autistic,” Smith said.

Smith’s bill—with Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) as the Democrat lead and 61 other bipartisan cosponsors—is expected to become law before the end of the year.

“I am pleased to help pass this bipartisan legislation, a bill I championed alongside Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4), and send it to the President's desk. This bipartisan bill will provide vital funding to expand research and care for Americans with autism,” said Dr. Cuellar, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Through this bill, we continue important work in understanding the causes of autism, the best ways to treat autism, and incorporate the voices of those previously missed by research.”

Smith’s legislation has received strong support from the nation’s leading autism advocacy groups, including Autism New Jersey, Autism Speaks, the Autism Society, the Profound Autism Alliance, and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.

The Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (CARES) Act of 2024 will:

· Direct the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research issues encountered by individuals and caregivers as they age, mental health concerns, issues related to aging, as well as co-occurring conditions and needs for supports and services, such as care necessary for physical safety and the prevention of self-injurious behavior;

· Increase the number of NIH Centers of Excellence to seven and ensure research reflects the entire population of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and is designed to address the full range of needs faced by individuals, including to ensure the physical safety and to promote the well-being of all Americans with autism;

· Include, for the first time, a professional bypass budget to provide the autism community with a comprehensive budget highlighting priority research areas and resources needed to advance quality of life improvements for all individuals with autism; and

· Promote the adoption of assistive communication technologies to improve communications outcomes for those with communication assistance needs.

Smith, who has been a steadfast champion for the autism community for decades, said “it all started in September 1997 with Bobbie and Billy Gallagher from Brick Township and their indomitable commitment to help their two children—Austin and Alanna—and everyone else with autism.”

“We met several times and invited the CDC to Brick only to realize that federal autism programs were woefully inadequate—almost nonexistent,” said Smith, who noted he continues to plan and strategize with the couple to this day.

At Smith’s invitation, federal agencies came to Ocean County for an investigation and found that autism prevalence rates were high not only in Brick, but in nearby communities as well. In response, Smith authored the Autism Statistics, Surveillance, Research and Epidemiology Act, which was incorporated as Title I of the Children’s Health Act of 2000, authorizing grants and contracts for the collection, analysis and reporting of data on autism and pervasive developmental disabilities.

Democratic Platform on Disabilities

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in presidential campaigns. As in 2020, the Democrats have a detailed plank on disability.  The Republican platform does not even mention the word.

From the 2024 Democratic Platform:

People with disabilities have long strengthened our economy and expanded our nation’s possibilities. And, groundbreaking legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act have made significant strides toward equal opportunity for people with disabilities. But there is more work to do. People with disabilities are three times less likely to have a job, and when they do, they are often paid less money for doing the same work.

Democrats are taking action to fix that. President Biden signed an executive order establishing a government-wide commitment to advancing equality and equity in federal employment, including for people with disabilities. The Labor Department is protecting workers with disabilities and fighting to end unjust employment practices. The Administration is helping state and local governments, businesses, and nonprofits access federal funds to hire more disabled Americans. And President Biden is making sure his Administration looks like America, appointing people with disabilities to positions all across our government. He is making the federal government a model employer when it comes to wages, accommodations, and opportunities to advance for people with disabilities. And he’s helping young people with disabilities transition from education to employment through the Disability Innovation Fund.

Democrats will enforce laws that ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities: the ADA, IDEA, the Fair Housing Act, the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Mental Health Parity Act, and the Help America Vote Act. We oppose efforts to weaken the ADA and build on the ACA to prevent health care discrimination. Democrats will enforce the Olmstead integration mandate and enforce

non-discrimination protections in health care, employment, education, housing, voting. We

will promote equitable treatment of students with disabilities so every child with disabilities can thrive. And to support people with disabilities and their families, we will support home and community-based care and end the subminimum wage.

President Biden is also working to improve health care for people with disabilities. The Administration released a rule barring providers from denying medical treatments related to organ donations or lifesaving care for disabled Americans based on their disability alone. It launched long COVID clinical trials and created the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice. The National Institutes of Health designated people with disabilities a “health disparity population,” unlocking new resources for research. President Biden also signed an executive order increasing access to quality care and supporting caregivers; as well as historic legislation that expands home- and community-based services under Medicaid.

Accessible public spaces are essential to ensuring equal opportunity for people with disabilities. Democrats have invested in accessible infrastructure, including rail station accessibility and actions to make airports and airplanes more accessible. And Democrats passed and President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which expanded access to affordable broadband, an especially important step for people with disabilities.

Trump has a long record of discrimination against people with disabilities, including publicly mocking them. His business has faced a series of lawsuits for failing to comply with the ADA. Discrimination complaints from federal workers with disabilities employed at Cabinet-level agencies increased 20 percent while he was president, and in his first year in office, the number of people with disabilities fired by the government increased 24 percent, with workers with disabilities fired at almost two times the rate of workers without disabilities.

 Democrats will enforce laws that ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities: the ADA, IDEA, the Fair Housing Act, the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Mental Health Parity Act, and the Help America Vote Act. We oppose efforts to weaken the ADA and build on the ACA to prevent health care discrimination. Democrats will enforce the Olmstead integration mandate and enforce on-discrimination protections in health care, employment, education, housing, voting. We will promote equitable treatment of students with disabilities so every child with disabilities can thrive. And to support people with disabilities and their families, we will support home and community-based care and end the subminimum wage

Trump repeatedly proposed billions in cuts to Social Security Disability Insurance and called for restrictions on eligibility and benefit cutbacks. He called to cut funding for special education grants and eliminate federal funding for the Special Olympics. He has promised to close the Department of Education, threatening enforcement of IDEA protections for students with disabilities. And he rescinded guidance protecting students with disabilities, including guidance aimed at ensuring students with disabilities were not unfairly disciplined.

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Student Debt

In Defying the Odds, we talk about the social and economic divides that enabled Trump to enter the White House. In Divided We Stand, we discuss how these divides played out in 2020.  The Democratic Party is a coalition of minorities and college-educated whites.  They have problems with rural and white working-class voters.  The latter do not always favor student debt forgiveness.

Ayelet Sheffey at Business Insider:

Former President Donald Trump is making sure voters know how he feels about student-loan forgiveness.

During a Tuesday campaign rally in Wisconsin, Trump delivered a more than an hourlong speech on topics including immigration, national security, and the economy.

He also used that time to criticize President Joe Biden's efforts to enact student-loan forgiveness for millions of Americans.

"He's throwing money out the window," Trump said.

"This student-loan program, which is not even legal, I mean it's not even legal, and the students aren't buying it, by the way," he added. "His polls are down. I'm leading in young people by numbers that nobody's ever seen before."

A Harvard Youth Poll conducted in March found that among people 18 to 29, Biden was leading Trump at 45% compared with 37%. That was still a reduction from Biden's youth support in the poll in 2020.

Colin Binkley and Linley Sanders at AP:

As he campaigns for reelection, President Joe Biden frequently touts his work on student debt, pointing to the millions of people who received cancellation under his watch. Yet relatively few Americans say they’re fans of his work on the issue, even among those who have student loans.

Three in 10 U.S. adults say they approve of how Biden has handled the issue of student loan debt, while 4 in 10 disapprove, according to a new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The others are neutral or don’t know enough to say.

The outlook wasn’t much better for the Democratic president among those responsible for unpaid student loan debt, either for themselves or for a family member.

RFK Jr. Might Be Hurting Trump

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.   And among those diseases could be COVID-19.

Antivaxxers are sometimes violent, often abusive, and always wrong. A leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.

He is now running for president as an independent.  A big question in the campaign is whether he will draw Democratic votes from Biden (because his name is Kennedy) or draw Republican votes from Trump (because he is an antivaxxer).

Lisa Kashinsky et al. at Politico:

Republicans are waking up to the reality that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could sink their standard-bearer just as easily as he could hurt President Joe Biden, after a pair of new polls showed the presence of third-party candidates on the ballot might not necessarily benefit former President Donald Trump.
...

In two polls released so far this week, from NBC News and Marist College, Biden actually gained relative to Trump in matchups featuring Kennedy and other third-party candidates, though the differences were well within the margins of error in each survey and represented a break from previous polling.

In the NBC News poll, a negligible 2-point Trump lead in a head-to-head matchup became a 2-point Biden advantage when Kennedy, Cornel West and Jill Stein were added as options. That’s because 15 percent of respondents who picked Trump against Biden defected to Kennedy in the five-way matchup, compared to 7 percent of those who chose Biden initially.

The Marist poll showed Kennedy winning equal shares of respondents who reported voting for Biden (12 percent) and Trump (12 percent) in 2020, and roughly the same percentages of self-identified Democrats (8 percent) and Republicans (10 percent) — mostly in line with other polls that show Kennedy drawing evenly from both major-party candidates.

...

The overlap in potential support for Trump and Kennedy is evident in more than just policy. Of the $22.7 million that Kennedy’s campaign has reported raising from donors giving at least $200 — the threshold at which the Federal Election Committee requires campaigns to itemize donations — since his launch last summer, nearly $1.6 million comes from more than 1,700 donors who gave to Trump’s campaign during the 2020 cycle, according to a POLITICO analysis.

By contrast, Kennedy has raised only $850,000 from about 980 donors with a record of giving to Biden’s 2020 campaign. Both totals represent a small overall share of Kennedy’s fundraising. But they are one data point suggesting his appeal may be stronger among those once interested in Trump.

Presidential Proclamation: World Autism Acceptance Day 2024

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss efforts to raise the issue's profile.

One year ago, President Biden proclaimed World Autism Awareness Day.  

This year's proclamation changes a key word.

 A Proclamation on World Autism Acceptance Day, 2024

    America was founded on the idea that all people are created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives.  Today, we champion the equal rights and dignity of the millions of Americans on the autism spectrum, and we celebrate the immense contributions of all neurodiverse people, whose perspectives and experiences make America a richer Nation.

     Some 5.4 million American adults and 1 in 36 children have been diagnosed with autism.  Their experiences with the condition vary widely, but their talents and potential are too often misunderstood or overlooked.  Autistic people routinely face unnecessary obstacles to securing employment and health care and children face bullying and barriers to education.  We can work to end these disparities and ensure they have an equal opportunity to reach their dreams by making sure that people with autism and those who support them have the resources and tools they need to communicate, grow, work, and achieve greater independence.  

     Early diagnosis can make a big difference, which is why my Administration is funding groundbreaking research to boost access to diagnoses and services that can help autistic people of all ages thrive.  The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services are also working to ensure that young children with disabilities, including autism, have access to high-quality, inclusive early childhood programs so that they can thrive as well as helping schools leverage Medicaid to deliver critical health care services.  Further, my Administration released guidance on how schools can obtain, use, and support assistive technology devices that are essential to the success of some people with disabilities. Meanwhile, the Department of Education is helping public schools avoid discriminatory discipline for autistic students, whose needs can be misunderstood, while also working to get students with autism and their teachers the resources they need to thrive.  We are working to boost understanding among community members who can help keep people with autism safe — I was proud to sign a reauthorization of Kevin and Avonte’s Law, expanding training for first responders and caregivers.  

     My Administration is also making it easier for all Americans to get the health care they need.  We protected and strengthened the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, expanding health care coverage to millions of Americans.  At the same time, we lowered health insurance premiums by $800 per year for millions of Americans.  Through the American Rescue Plan, we provided $37 billion to make it easier for people with disabilities, including autism, to receive the services they need at home and stay active in their communities.  My Budget requests another $150 billion over the next decade to further expand and improve these life-changing services.   

     We owe everyone in this country a fair shot at the American Dream, so we are also working to increase job opportunities for autistic and other historically marginalized Americans who have been shut out for too long.  My Administration is providing State and local governments, private companies, and nonprofits with Federal funding to hire more Americans with disabilities, including those with autism.  I signed an Executive Order to make the Federal workforce more inclusive, and I eliminated the unjust use of sub-minimum wages for people with disabilities by Federal contractors, working to ensure every American has equal protection under the law.   

     Globally, we are advancing disability rights as part of our work to promote democracy, prosperity, and inclusion.  We are prioritizing disability rights in policy discussions with other nations, and we are working through the United States Agency for International Development and as co-chair of the Global Action on Disability Network to stand for the dignity and equal rights of people with disabilities worldwide.

Diversity in all its forms is one of America’s greatest strengths.  Today, we recommit to making the promise of America real for every American on the autism spectrum, upholding our most basic values of decency, fairness, and respect. 

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2, 2024, as World Autism Acceptance Day.  I call upon all Americans to learn more about autism to improve early diagnosis, to learn more about the experiences of autistic people from autistic people, and to build more welcoming and inclusive communities to support people with autism.

       IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

                        JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Biden Budget on Disabilities

  In The Politics of Autism, I write about special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

From the FY 2025 Budget:

To support high-quality special education services for over seven million Pre-K through 12 students with disabilities, the Budget provides $14.4  billion for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) StateGrants, a $200 million increase over the 2023 enacted level. Since 2021, the Administration has secured a $1.3 billion, or 10-percent increase in annual funding for the program as well as an additional $2.6 billion in American Rescue Plan funds to help students with disabilities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Budget also invests $545 million in IDEA Grants for Infants and Families to provide early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities. To address nationwide special educator shortages, the Budget also invests $125 million, which is $10  million above the 2023 enacted level, in grants to prepare special education and early intervention personnel—addressing another critical educator shortage area.

Biden and Disability Law

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the congressional role in the issue.

Remarks by President Biden to Celebrate the Americans With Disabilities Act

You know, one of my first acts as a United States senator — I know I don’t look old enough to do it — (laughter) — but one of my first acts was I voted — I was a co-sponsor of the Rehabilitation Act, which was — (applause) — the first time in our nation’s history we declared in law what we knew to be true: that Americans with disabilities deserve dignity, respect, and an equal chance at the American Dream.

The Rehabilitation Act is one of the most consequential civil rights laws in our nation’s history, banning discrimination on the basis of disability by any entity funded by the federal government.
...
The Rehabilitation Act laid the groundwork for another landmark law celebrated today: the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Steny Hoyer led the charge in the House along with Major Robert — excuse me, Major Robert Owens and Tony Coelho — I don’t know, T- — (applause) — as well as Tom Harkin and Bob Dole. They led the fight in the Senate.

You know, I was enormously proud to be a senator — a Senate cosponsor.

Today, three decades after its passage, many of us can still recall the America where a person with disability could be denied service in a restaurant or a grocery store, where an employer could refuse to hire because of the disability.


And when we passed this law, we made a commitment to build an America for all Americans — for all Americans.

Perhaps most importantly, we did it together. This was a bipartisan bill, signed into law by a Republican president, George H.W. Bush, 33 years ago on this spot on the South Lawn of the White House.

Zoe Gross Discusses Autism

  In The Politics of Autism, I write:

In 2006, 19-year-old Ari Ne’eman, who had a diagnosis of Asperger’s, cofounded the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) in response to what members saw as the absence of autistic voices in policy debates on autism. As a motto, the group adopted a saying from the broader disability rights movement, “Nothing About Us Without Us.” ASAN gained national publicity in 2007, with a successful campaign against billboards by the NYU Child Study Center depicting autism as a kidnaper. The ads, said the group, stigmatized people with autism by suggesting that their condition was hopeless. Although billboards appeared only in New York City, the response was nationwide. ASAN used the Internet to join forces with other disability rights organizations and gather thousands of petition signatures

Zoe Gross, Director of Advocacy at Autistic Self Advocacy Network recently spoke on C-SPAN about federal and state efforts to help assist people with autism. 

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Autism Society Applauds Biden Disability Actions

 In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

 From the Autism Society:

Affordable, accessible, quality child care and respite services are essential to give families the support they need. The Autism Society prioritizes advocating for additional funding for Medicaid-funded home and community-based services.

“Our community-based service system is in crisis. Many Autistic individuals want to live at home or in their community with support, but funding has not kept up with the needs of families,” stated Christopher Banks, President and CEO of the Autism Society of America. “Parents often care for their adult children until they need support themselves.”

The bipartisan Better Care Better Jobs Act, introduced in both the House and Senate, would increase access to personal care services, family supports, community behavioral health services and expand eligibility requirements. It would also facilitate greater coordination with employment, housing and transportation supports. An independent analysis estimates the bill would provide enough funding to enable 3.2 million more individuals to receive services.

The President’s Budget also includes $150 billion over the next decade to improve and expand Medicaid home care services—making it easier for people with disabilities to live, work, and participate in their communities.

Banks continued, “We applaud President Biden’s actions and urge Congress to pass the Better Care Better Jobs Act to support families with disabilities.”

Next week, the Autism Society is co-sponsoring the Disability Policy Seminar, along with several other major disability organizations. The annual seminar includes a day on the Hill where people with disabilities, family members, and professionals will urge Congress to support the President’s Budget and legislation, such as the Better Care Better Jobs Act, to address waiting lists and raise wages for direct care workers.

RFK Jr, Campaign

 In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.   And among those diseases could be COVID-19.

Antivaxxers are sometimes violent, often abusive, and always wrong.  

A leading anti-vaxxer is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. 

He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.

 Eli Yokley at Morning Consult:

President Joe Biden maintains a formidable lead among the potential Democratic primary electorate following the entrance of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who is former President John F. Kennedy’s nephew, according to a new Morning Consult survey...Seven in 10 potential Democratic primary voters said they would support Biden for re-nomination, while 10% said they would vote for Kennedy and 4% said they would back self-help author Marianne Williamson, according to the April 7-9 survey.

Laura Romero at ABC:

Kennedy, the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, has become one of the most prominent faces of the anti-vaccine movement, according to experts. He is the founder of Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit organization known mainly for its anti-vaccine efforts. The group was kicked off Instagram and Facebook last year for spreading misleading claims about vaccines and other public health measures.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization's revenues doubled to $6.8 million, according to filings made with charity regulators.

Kennedy's bid for the presidency "puts science squarely on the ballot," said Brian Castrucci, president of De Beaumont Foundation, a group dedicated to advancing public health policy. "His campaigns make the benefits of vaccines a question up for debate rather than settled science."

"His campaign would platform a set of dangerous beliefs with the possibility of not only harming the health of the public but the health of our communities and economy as well," Castrucci told ABC News. "We would have a candidate who each day would be spreading scientific misinformation and, in the process, legitimizing vaccine hesitancy and resistance."

 

Biden Proclaims World Autism Awareness Day

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss efforts to raise the issue's profile.

President Biden:

There is no one way to be autistic — each individual with autism experiences it differently — but together, autistic people make industries, communities, and our Nation stronger. Today, we celebrate the achievements of neurodiverse people everywhere and champion the equal rights and dignity of all those living on the autism spectrum.

Here in the United States, more than 5.4 million adults are autistic, and 1 in every 44 children has been diagnosed with autism. Yet this developmental disability is still misunderstood. Autistic people continue to face obstacles when seeking employment, health care, education, and housing, and the immense contributions of people with autism are often overlooked. We owe it to our fellow Americans to address the disparities they face and to support autistic people with tools that facilitate clearer communication, increased productivity, and greater independence.

That is why my Administration is funding cutting-edge research to enable earlier autism diagnoses and to develop more resources to help neurodiverse people of all ages thrive. Recognizing that Autism Spectrum Disorder is categorized as a disability, my American Rescue Plan provided $25 billion to States to make it easier for people with disabilities, including autism, to receive care at home. We also rolled out new tools and strategies for partner organizations to connect disabled Americans with stable housing while helping them pay rent, fight eviction, and prevent homelessness.

Last year, I was proud to reauthorize Kevin and Avonte’s Law, which expands training for first responders and others giving care to people with autism. And in my recent State of the Union Address, I called on the Congress to increase its support for community living for people with disabilities.

My Administration is also boosting employment opportunities for autistic and other historically marginalized Americans. I was proud to sign an Executive Order advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the Federal workforce, which will help create new jobs for Americans with autism and make space for their voices in the policy-making process.

We are helping State and local governments, employers, and nonprofits tap Federal funds to hire more Americans with disabilities like autism through competitive integrated employment practices. We are cracking down on employers who discriminate on the basis of disability, and we are fighting to end the unfair use of sub-minimum wages. I continue to urge States that have not yet expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act to do the right thing and provide health insurance to those currently locked out of Medicaid support that would otherwise be available to them from the Federal Government. Medicaid expansion would help many Americans with disabilities, including those with autism.

To support students with autism, the Department of Education is ensuring that public schools uphold their obligation to provide free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment to all students. My Administration has also issued new guidance to help schools avoid the discriminatory use of discipline, which too often impacts autistic students, whose needs and behaviors are commonly misunderstood.

As we build a more inclusive, just, and equal Nation, we aim to lead by the power of our example. I reestablished the role of Special Advisor on International Disability Rights at the Department of State to prioritize disability rights in our policy discussions with foreign nations. The United States Agency for International Development is advancing disability inclusion as part of its democracy, climate, humanitarian, and peacebuilding activities. And as co-chair of the Global Action on Disability Network and a participant in the Global Disability Summit, the United States continues to promote the equal human rights of people with disabilities worldwide.

America is founded on the idea that all people are created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives. Today and always, let us strive to live up to this ideal. Let us embrace our diversity; empower each other to reach our full potential; and promote the basic decency, acceptance, and fairness we know is right.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2, 2023, as World Autism Awareness Day. I call upon all Americans to learn more about autism to improve early diagnosis, to learn more about the experiences of autistic people from autistic people, and to build more welcoming and inclusive communities to support people with autism.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

Biden Budget and Disabilities

 In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

From a White House budget fact sheet:

Bolsters Support for Children with Disabilities. Every child with a disability should have access to the high-quality early intervention, special education services, and personnel needed to thrive in school and graduate ready for college or a career. The Budget invests $16.8 billion in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grants to support special education and related services for more than seven million students with disabilities in grades Pre-K through 12, an increase of $2.1 billion above the 2023 enacted level. The Budget also invests $932 million in IDEA Part C grants that support early intervention services for infants and families with disabilities that are critical to supporting children’s developmental and academic outcomes. Increased funding would support States in implementing important reforms to expand enrollment of underserved children, including children of color, children from low-income families, and children living in rural areas.

...

Improves Access to Social Security Services. The Administration is committed to making it easier for people to access the services they rely on, including individuals experiencing homelessness, children with disabilities, and people with mental and intellectual disabilities. The Budget makes investments in the Social Security Administration to decrease customer wait times, simplify the Supplemental Security Income application processes, and increase outreach to people who are difficult to reach. SSA would also continue to modernize its information technology systems to make more services available online and improve 800 Number access for those who call.  

The State of the Union and Disabilities

The Politics of Autism includes an extensive discussion of insurance and Medicaid services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) are particularly important.

 The White House posted reactions to the State of the Union address from disability advocates:

Dom Kelly, President & CEO, New Disabled South: “It’s time that disabled people get care in their homes instead of institutions. It’s time that care workers get paid living wages. We can finally get this done. #CareCantWait #sotu2023″ [Tweet, 2/07/23]

Kim Knackstedt, Senior Fellow and Co-Director, The Century Foundation: “Every issue is a disability issue. #Caregiving is critical for disabled people to live in homes, work, receive an education, & fully participate in their communities. Thanks @POTUS for highlighting that #CareCantWait #SOTU #DisCo” [Tweet, 2/07/23]

Laura Kennedy, Board President, The Arc of the United States: “When @POTUS talks about supporting families and people with disabilities with home care services— and the workers who provide them— this is who he means. Ray and Nicholas (and countless families like them) deserve the services to live and work in their community! #SOTU @SOTU2023″ [Tweet, 2/07/23]

Nicole Jorwic, Chief of Advocacy and Campaigns: “Still a little tear-y thinking about the fact that @POTUSchighlighted ALL care pillars in #sotu2023 #PaidLeave #ChildCare #AgingAndDisabilityCare & good pay for #CareWork So proud to be part of the #CareCantWait coalition. We’ve shown we are #StrongerTogether Let’s get it done” [Tweet, 2/07/23]

Tony Coelho, Founder, Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy and Innovation at Loyola Marymount University: “We have a President who supports and understands the #Disability community! #disabilityinclusion @POTUS ‘Pass my plan so we get seniors and people with disabilities the home care services they need and support the workers who are doing God’s work.'” [Tweet, 2/07/23]

Disability Employment Awareness Month

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.

From President Biden:

During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we celebrate the essential contributions to our workplaces, economy, and Nation made by disabled Americans and recommit to promoting equal opportunity for all people.

For far too long in this country, employers could refuse to hire you if you were disabled. Stores could turn you away. If you used a wheelchair, there was no real way to take a bus or train to work or school. America simply was not built for all Americans. In 1945, President Truman established National Disability Employment Awareness Month and issued the first national call for disabled people to access all the opportunities and rewards of work. Forty-five years later, in 1990, the Congress came together to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which helps to ensure our workforce is more productive, prosperous, and inclusive by banning disability discrimination, including in the workplace. Courageous activists of all backgrounds had fought for decades to lay the groundwork and change public consciousness, and I was proud to cosponsor this groundbreaking civil rights law. Since then, the ADA has not only transformed lives, but it has also inspired over 180 other countries to pass similar laws and brought us closer to realizing the full promise of our Nation.

Still, we have a long way to go. Studies have found that Americans with disabilities are especially productive and motivated workers — but they still have a harder time getting jobs, promotions, and fair pay. They are three times less likely than others to be employed and often earn sub-minimum wages for their work. That is wrong. We have an obligation to change that, and as the Nation’s largest employer, the Federal Government has a responsibility to set an example as a model workplace where everyone is valued and treated with respect. Last year, I issued an Executive Order putting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility front and center across the entire Federal Government. To ensure our Federal workforce actually looks like America, the Executive Order directs agencies to find and remove barriers to hiring and promotion and to recruit more recent graduates with disabilities.

Meanwhile, my Administration’s Labor Department is protecting the rights of workers with disabilities in the private sector, cracking down on employers who discriminate, and ending the unfair use of sub-minimum wages. The Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Social Security Administration, are helping State and local governments, employers, and nonprofits that hire people with disabilities to access funding for competitive integrated employment opportunities. My Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is expanding access to transit, updating old train stations and airports so more people with disabilities can travel and work. We are working to ease the added threat the pandemic has posed to the disabled community and its support networks. Where long COVID has now risen to the level of a disability, we are helping people understand their rights and get the workplace accommodations they need.

This month, let us acknowledge workers with disabilities who make our communities, our economy, and our Nation stronger. Let us continue the legacy of generations of disability rights activists who have fought for equal employment opportunities, integrated workplaces, and equal pay for equal work. Let us deliver the promise of America to all Americans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2022 as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. I urge all Americans to embrace the talents and skills that workers with disabilities bring and to promote the right to equal employment opportunity for all.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

Making Federally Funded Research Freely Available

In The Politics of Autism, I describe the difficulties of finding reliable information:

One problem is that a good deal of the solid research about autism lies in academic journals behind an Internet paywall, open only to people who have a university library card or can afford the journals’ exorbitant prices ($35 or more per article). Says neuroscientist Sophia Colamarino: “In today’s information age, where essentially anything said by anyone can be made accessible within a matter of moments, it is unfortunate that families have easy access to all BUT the most scientifically valid information, that which can be found in scientifically reviewed research literature.” NIH and Autism Speaks have tried to remedy this situation by requiring its research grant recipients to put any resulting peer-reviewed research papers on the PubMed Central online archive, but this policy affects only a fraction of the literature on autism.

An August 25 release from the White House:

Today, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) updated U.S. policy guidance to make the results of taxpayer-supported research immediately available to the American public at no cost. In a memorandum to federal departments and agencies, Dr. Alondra Nelson, the head of OSTP, delivered guidance for agencies to update their public access policies as soon as possible to make publications and research funded by taxpayers publicly accessible, without an embargo or cost. All agencies will fully implement updated policies, including ending the optional 12-month embargo, no later than December 31, 2025.

This policy will likely yield significant benefits on a number of key priorities for the American people, from environmental justice to cancer breakthroughs, and from game-changing clean energy technologies to protecting civil liberties in an automated world.

For years, President Biden has been committed to delivering policy based on the best available science, and to working to ensure the American people have access to the findings of that research. “Right now, you work for years to come up with a significant breakthrough, and if you do, you get to publish a paper in one of the top journals,” said then-Vice President Biden in remarks to the American Association for Cancer Research in 2016. “For anyone to get access to that publication, they have to pay hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars to subscribe to a single journal. And here’s the kicker — the journal owns the data for a year. The taxpayers fund $5 billion a year in cancer research every year, but once it’s published, nearly all of that taxpayer-funded research sits behind walls. Tell me how this is moving the process along more rapidly.” The new public access guidance was developed with the input of multiple federal agencies over the course of this year, to enable progress on a number of Biden-Harris Administration priorities.

“When research is widely available to other researchers and the public, it can save lives, provide policymakers with the tools to make critical decisions, and drive more equitable outcomes across every sector of society,” said Dr. Alondra Nelson, head of OSTP. “The American people fund tens of billions of dollars of cutting-edge research annually. There should be no delay or barrier between the American public and the returns on their investments in research.”

This policy update builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to broaden the potential of the American innovation ecosystem by leveling the playing field for all American innovators, which can help ensure that the U.S. remains a world leader in science and technology. This policy guidance will end the current optional embargo that allows scientific publishers to put taxpayer-funded research behind a subscription-based paywall – which may block access for innovators for whom the paywall is a barrier, even barring scientists and their academic institutions from access to their own research findings. In addition, agencies will develop plans to improve transparency, including clearly disclosing authorship, funding, affiliations, and the development status of federally funded research – and will coordinate with OSTP to help ensure equitable delivery of federally funded research results and data.

Advocates, researchers, academic libraries, Congressional leaders, and others have long called for greater public access to federally funded research results. This policy update reflects extensive public engagement with stakeholders across the research publication ecosystem on ways to strengthen equitable access to federally funded research results. OSTP’s consultations have included large and small science and academic publishers, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, libraries and universities, scholarly societies, and members of the general public.

In the short-term, agencies will work with OSTP to update their public access and data sharing plans by mid-2023. OSTP expects all agencies to have updated public access policies fully implemented by the end of 2025. This timeline gives agencies, researchers, publishers, and scholarly societies some flexibility on when to adapt to the new policies. Over the long term, OSTP will continue to coordinate with federal agencies to ensure that government public access policies adapt to new technologies and emerging needs.