I am sure many of you remember our peaceful protest last year. This year was very much the same, just new things we have to fight for. Then, it was getting the health insurance companies to recognize that Autism is not a "pre existing condition", that it SHOULD be covered under insurance and that our children shouldn't have to suffer to recieve benefits. We won. Starting in July of this year, Stevens Law is set to be implemented which will give Arizona families important insurance coverage for medical treatments that are proven to help children with autism make progress. You can read more about Steven's Law here. It is amazing to have been a part of it, there when it all started, and here, when more is beginning. It is both amazing and frustrating all in the same breath.
Today, we rallied against the very people set to stand up for our children's rights and for the disability rights of many thousands of others. The Department of Developmental Disabilities, sounds wonderful enough right? Their soul purpose is to fight for our children's therapies, work to help those who can't help themselves, and to defend and protect their rights at all costs. Unfortunatley, this is not the case. 
They decided that with the deficit, they needed to make "much needed" budget cuts....the first thing to go, Disability services. That means, that the kiddos under the age of 3, those not covered under Long Term Care (and even then, they are cutting back at min, 10%) but, the most drastic, cut all therapies and services rendered under the Arizona Early Intervention Program. This program was set forth to help children with severe developmental disabilities, delays and handicaps, to help them recieve MUCH NEEDED benefits such as Occupational, Physical and Speech Therapies. These are things that are required for them to be able to learn to function at a "normal" pace...not luxuries that we feel we deserve...something that is needed...much needed.
Can you imagine, for just a minute, that if your father needed medicine that helped his heart beat at a normal rate, that one day, someone called and said that he would no longer be allowed to get that medicine, that it was cut out of his insurance. Can you imagine how terrified that would make you feel? Helpless? It is a horrible feeling thinking that you know your loved one needs something SO much in order to function normally, then, someone who doesn't even know you has the power to take it away...just like that. It's how the disabled community feels...helpless.
We rallied today in hopes to change legislation and to force DDD to withdraw their appeal to have these cuts permanently implemented. Where is the democracy in that? Where is my vote? What about "no child left behind?" I am confused. I feel very upset with how our state is the 50th worst state in schooling and one of the better for prisons. I feel very dissapointed with the amount of money that is going to our stadiums, our roads versus the amount that is being deducted from our children.
Today, we joined together in black...to symbolize the sadness that we share for the loss of our services, we chanted "NO MORE CUTS" and "DON'T CUT US OUT"....Trinity and Tristan were there beside me, dancing on stage, smiling and enjoying the sunlight...unaware of what was really happening. Today, we joined together in our efforts to change the hearts of a few in hopes to save the spirits of many. I hope that you will read up on this, that if you have a chance, you will contact Govenor Jan Brewer and ask her not cut us out...
2 comments:
Seriously? Insurance won't cover autism because it's a "pre-existing condition?" That infuriates me. Not that I believe that kids are born autistic, because I DON'T, but what if they WERE? Are all conditions that kids are born with "pre-existing?" Will insurance cover therapies for Down's children? Or those with cerebral palsy?
I am so sorry that you have to spend your days fighting for things like this. There should be no fight. There should be no question that autism is covered.
I can't imagine the frustration you feel dealing with all of this, my friend.
I agree with Katie on this, Jenn. I don't understand the logic of not wanting to cover something because it is a pre-existing condition. How many other things are pre-existing conditions that ARE covered?
Do these people not understand that by not providing services early on they may be causing a larger, more expensive problem further down the road? Are there not other things that can be cut out of the budget? Why do medical and educational parts of the budget have to be cut? Why are we paying for the government to give billions to banks when human beings are suffering without the basic essentials needed to live?
I don't understand our world.
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