Archive for September 2015
Indiana Needs Its Own Version of TAP – The Autism Program of Illinois
Even though it is our next-door neighbor to the North, Illinois is a world apart when it comes to support for its autistic population. One of the reasons for this is TAP – The Autism Program of Illinois, the largest comprehensive statewide provider of autism services in the country. TAP collaboration of 17 agencies operate…
Read MoreOne Woman’s Fight for Disabled to Achieve a Better Life Experience Succeeds
For the last year and a half, we have been following the story of Sara Wolff, a remarkable woman with Downs Syndrome whose future was in jeopardy due to archaic Federal laws that limited a disabled person’s earnings by jeopardizing their Medicaid and Social Security support. She became a one-woman lobbyist to advocate for the…
Read MoreNot All Autistics are Nonverbal, Nor All Nonverbals Autistic
As many people today understand that autism is not one thing, it can present itself in a variety of manners, with differing levels of severity, and presenting a variety of symptoms. This is why the affliction has, in the last decade or so, has been referred to by the all-encompassing term “Autistic Spectrum Disorders,” or…
Read MoreThe Institute on Communication and Inclusion (ICI) Conducting New Research Study
The Institute on Communication and Inclusion (ICI) in Syracuse, NY and the Hussman Institute for Autism in Baltimore, MD are conducting a collaborative analysis of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) of students with intellectual and developmental disability labels, including autism, who have complex communication needs and use, or may benefit from, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).…
Read MoreAutistic Self Advocacy Network: Action for the Disability Rights Movement
One of Saved By Typing’s main tenets is that autistic individualss, both verbal and nonverbal, have the same rights to a good education and social services as anyone else, that school systems need to act from a principle of presumed competence, and that, in order to achieve these goals, they may need to approach and…
Read MoreABLE Act Becomes Law with Unprecedented Congressional Support
After an eight-year uphill battle, the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act (H.R. 647/S. 313) became law on December 17, 2014 when it was passed by the Senate with a vote of 76-16. The bill had been approved by the House of Representatives (404-17) on December 3rd. No other bill before the 113th Congress…
Read MoreA Solution to Provide Nonverbal Autistics with Gen Ed School Credits
By John Smyth, © 2015 Education Overview The number of nonverbal autistics is growing [1 in 68 children; 1 in 42 boys]. The professional organizations consider them incompetent and deny them a general education. The parents spend time and resources fighting for their child’s rights, usually without success. The public schools are: Not equipped to…
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