The Mickey Mouse Club-bing

The State of Illinois passed measures to change their policy regarding handicap placards and parking meters.

As it currently stands, if you have a handicap plate you need not feed the meters. You can park at any metered spot and not have to worry about having to return in two hours to feed the meter or looking for specific handicapped parking spots. The city does offer those as well in case people with disabilities have trouble finding parking.

This policy has saved my family immeasurably. We have a disability plate so that we can park close to stores. Bianca, as I have written about, is an eloper. She also LOVES to go to the store. Leaving... not so much. Often times I have had to drag her out in the middle of a meltdown with the other two kids in tow, so being close to the store makes that all a little more manageable.

My Dream

Last year I attended the Annual Law Summit presented by Autism Speaks. It was my first time in the nation’s capital. There was one place I knew I had to go while I was there... the Lincoln Memorial.

Not only did I want to go because of what Lincoln had accomplished or because of his ties to my home state. I wanted to stand in the place where the greatest speech on equality was ever given. Not just to honor the work and legacy of Dr. King but to invigorate my own personal battle for equality within our healthcare system and to end clear discrimination that autistic people face when it comes to health insurance coverage. 

A Spectrum of Similarities

As I read that horrible letter by that horrible person I focused on the words that were written. There were words being used to describe young Max that were vile… disgusting… evil.  Then I started to realize that those words were not being used to describe Max at all. They were venom… nothing more and nothing less.

J. Cole's Sincere Apology to Autism Community

My dad always used to tell me that a real man admits his mistakes, and then does something to rectify them.

J. Cole has done exactly that.

30 Lessons Learned

I thought I would take a moment and share with you some of the important lessons I have learned raising an autistic child. You may want to tuck these away in the ole memory banks so that you can call on them when need be. Here are 30 in no particular order…