[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

Well, we’re closing in on the end of “Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month” and I’ve been trying to find any statements that politicians have made on this lengthy occasion.  In particular, what has Mike Lake stated?  So many people in the community seem to regard him as a leader, champion and super advocate extraordinaire, but what has he said (never mind what has he done)?  Well, I rarely follow up to check his Twitter postings because I find such social media platforms superficial and a waste of time, but since I could not find anything that he said in the House of Commons so far this month, I thought he might have referred to something in his Twitter thingamajig. Well, guess what… on October 17 he “retweeted” a tweet by Stephen Lecce, an Ontario MPP who is the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier and Minister of Infrastructure and the Deputy Government House Leader. The tweet contained a picture of the two of them together (with two other MPPs) and stated: “Always inspired by Mike Lake’s story & leadership for Canadians with developmental disabilities. Great to chat at Queens Park … on how our government can meaningfully improve the quality of life of Ontarians living with autism.”

Wow.  My recollection from my first meeting with Mike Lake after he was first elected in 2006 was that he refused to table the petition I gave him requesting Medicare coverage for autism treatment and that he subsequently was interviewed by Sandie Ronaldo of CTV on the W5 program for a segment on autism policy in which he bluntly stated that autism is a provincial jurisdiction matter and not one that the federal government can or should concern itself with.  Leaving aside the reference to “Mike Lake’s story” and the absence of any reference to his autistic son’s “story”, what did this “inspiring leader” say and discuss during this “chat” with the provincial government politicians?  What are Mike Lake’s ideas on how the government of the largest province in the country “can meaningfully improve the quality of life of Ontarians living with autism”?  Surely I can’t be the only person who would like to hear an elaboration of the discussion that took place.  Where can one find this information?  Is it secret?  If so, why?  Why won’t Mike Lake post his ideas….besides proposing the creation of a “partnership project” after his government’s nine years in office have expired and the idea does not have a chance to get approved given that the Liberals are just as partisan on such matters as the Conservatives? I have written to Stephen Lecce to inquire about the content of their discussion, but I am not holding my breath to get a reply (at least, not a meaningful one).

Speaking of politicians who don’t bother replying…..on September 1 (about six weeks ago) I posted a message about Ken Hardie, the Liberal MP, having received a copy of the Liberal Party Policy Committee’s report regarding the Party’s resolution that was adopted in 2016 concerning the incorporation of autism treatment under Medicare.  I was told by the former chair of the policy committee that Ken Hardie was the “caucus liaison” person who now had the report and that he was apparently very supportive.  Well, I wrote to Mr. Hardie and asked him about the status of the report and what are the next steps.  To date, no reply.  None.  So today I wrote a “follow up” message.  I wonder what happened to this apparent “support”…

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

A Senator spoke up in the Senate yesterday about autism.  You may recall that Senator Bernard was the Senator who spoke at an “awareness” rally two years ago on Parliament Hill.  When she mentioned the fact that it is now time to move beyond “awareness” and to see some “action”, no one clapped (I was taking notes!) but when she announced that she was going to read a poem about autism, the crowd went nuts with applause.  I wonder if the Senator got the impression that the community does not want any “action” and is fine with poems and speeches about how nice everyone is.  As the transcript of her speech yesterday indicates, action is not on the agenda….just compliments for those in the private sector who are running enterprises that provide a much-needed service to our community. Perhaps the time has come for the Autism Societies to replace “Autism Awareness Month” with “Government Action on Autism Month” or something like that to see if that may prod the slow pokes to pay attention and do something.

Senate Debates, Tuesday, October 16, 2018.
<h2 id=”12″>Autism Awareness Month</h2>
<b>Hon. Wanda Elaine Thomas Bernard: </b>Thank you, Your Honour. There is certainly a lot of excitement in the chamber today with the five new senators, and I welcome them all. I hope that I can get through this speech without the distraction of all the excitement.

Honourable senators, I rise today in honour of Autism Awareness Month to pay tribute to Dr. Angela Fountain & Associates Summer Camp. This summer camp, located in Oshawa, Ontario, is on a 60-acre farm. It is an amazing combination of a children’s mental health program with a farm that creates an accessible and fun learning environment for children with unique mental health challenges and exceptionalities, such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders and other non-neurotypical issues.

Dr. Fountain’s camp has stables, a swimming pool, playgrounds, sports fields, vegetable gardens, meadows and a forest. The children can spend time with the horses and other small animals. Available activities for campers include artisan crafts and seasonal farm activities. All of these valuable summer camp experiences are available alongside access to the highly trained behaviour intervention team of Dr. Angela Fountain and a full multidisciplinary children’s mental health team.

This summer, my two grandsons Damon and Gavin attended the Dr. Angela Fountain & Associates Summer Camp. They had a great summer at the farm, which gave our family peace of mind knowing the boys were receiving the support they needed while having fun and exploring during their months off school.

I inquired at another summer day camp to see what it would look like for our two grandsons with exceptionalities to attend their camp. The response was one of confusion. The person that I asked had no idea what supports were in place for children who require additional support for a successful camp experience. There are actually very few options in this country for families with children with exceptionalities to have a summer camp experience that actually meets their needs.

The support team at Dr. Fountain’s camp are exceptional in providing an enhanced level of support to the campers and creating an accessible environment for a wide range of needs.

The children who attend this camp connect with nature through education and exploration. The program also provides these youth support in developing self-awareness, self-regulation and important relationship-building skills.

Join me in thanking Dr. Angela Fountain and Associates Summer Camp for providing such an important program. I encourage you, colleagues, to become more aware of innovative youth programs as we mark Autism Awareness Month.

 

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

After taking a break for Thanksgiving, Parliamentarians are back in Ottawa.  Below is an exchange that took place in the House of Commons on Monday between a Liberal backbencher and the Liberal Minister of Health.  Usually these kind of questions to Cabinet Ministers from their own parties are real easy slow pitches that are even easier for the Minister to bat and score a run. This exchange is a classic example of the window dressing “show and tell” games that are meant to put on the record that a problem is recognized and the reigning government is responsive and has solved the problem.  The check list can be checked off (done!).  But has any autism group tweeted or posted about this exchange and how we are tired of having our serious issues continuously ignored and swept under the rug….even in the middle of “Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month” and just days after the PM himself visited a new community centre? Is this all we can expect from the federal government during this “awareness” month?  To my knowledge, neither Mike Lake nor any other MP who might have a relative with ASD has yet spoken in the House during this “awareness” month. Perhaps they are not aware of it.  Or perhaps Mike Lake’s policy is to restrict his “awareness” speeches in the House to “Autism Awareness Day” in April.  Funny…..a day is only 24 hours….but the month would provide Mike Lake with 30 days in which to engage in activities to raise awareness.  Sometimes one gets the feeling that there are limits to how much awareness some people can tolerate or are willing to promote.

Monday, October 15, 2018 – House of Commons

<b>Mrs. Brenda Shanahan (Châteauguay—Lacolle, Lib.): </b>

Mr. Speaker, October is Autism Awareness Month. It is an opportunity to learn more about autism and how we can help people living with autism and their families and friends. Autism spectrum disorder is a condition that remains misunderstood by many people. Can the Minister of Health tell the House about the measures the government is taking to raise awareness and help families?

<b>Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Minister of Health, Lib.): </b>

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Châteauguay—Lacolle for her important question. Our government recognizes that autism spectrum disorder has a profound impact on Canadians and their families. That is why, in budget 2018, we invested more than $20 million in helping families and launching new community initiatives. We are also making major investments in research to better meet the needs of Canadians with autism spectrum disorder and their families.

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

Yesterday, (October 5, 2018) a Liberal MP made a statement in in the House of Commons in which he referred to the opening of a new “South Asian Autism Awareness Centre”, at which apparently the Prime Minister was in attendance a month ago.  What an excellent opportunity to highlight the needs of the community and lobby the PM.  Unfortunately, I did a search on “autism” on the PM’s website to see if there was any speech or press release relating to the event. The result was “No results”.   Did the local, provincial or national autism organizations take advantage of the opportunity to try to educate the PM at this event, or was it just a photo op?  The centre’s FB page has a picture of the PM front and centre (https://www.facebook.com/thesaaac), but I can’t find any indication of whether there was any serious discussion of public policy at the event.

“Autism

<b>Mr. Gary Anandasangaree (Scarborough—Rouge Park, Lib.): </b>

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate SAAAC, the South Asian Autism Awareness Centre, located in Scarborough for its work in the past 10 years helping hundreds of young people on the autism spectrum and their families. One out of 66 children born in Canada is on the spectrum. However, services to support these children are inadequate. SAAAC started in the basement of the house of its executive director, Geetha Moorthy, and has developed into the state-of-the-art facility it is today. The new centre came together due to her visionary leadership and the enormous support of retiring Toronto city councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker. Last month, I was proud to join our Prime Minister in opening the centre.

As we celebrate National Autism Awareness Month and Thanksgiving this weekend, I just want to say how thankful I am to have SAAAC in our community, for all of its volunteers, its staff, champions and a group of incredible parents who advocate and support their children. To the young people who are served by SAAAC, I want to affirm that we will continue to support their reaching their full potential. I thank them for inspiring us.”

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

Just wondering….supposing your child is two years old and just stopped using the twenty odd words he previously acquired, and your doctor advised you to get on the waiting list for provincial autism screening, how long do you think would be a reasonable timeframe to wait for an appointment with the specialist?  Three months? Six maybe?

In this news story, one mother indicates she was shocked by the wait time to get a diagnosis. Shocked!  So….how long is it? 18 to 24 months.  Where?  London, Ontario, (population about 390,000). What a disgrace.  And what does the federal government do in response to our community’s repeated requests for help?  Fund a website and anti-stigma campaign.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/wait-times-ontario-autism-program-screening-1.4847170

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

Here is an interesting tale of a concept hatched by an MP which went through the usual “now I’m in opposition and it’s important” to “now I’m a Cabinet Minister but the idea won’t move”.

Back in 2010 Kristy Duncan (Liberal) tabled a Private Members’ Bill to create an Alzheimer’s Office within the Public Health Agency of Canada.  The Bill was retabled by her in 2013. Back then she was in opposition.  Now is the Minister of Science and Sport.  Science! What happened to the Bill?  Well, in 2016 NDP MP Brian Masse tabled Bill C-249 with the same title “An Act to amend the Public Health Agency of Canada Act (National Alzheimer Office)”.

The Bill is an interesting read, especially if you change the word “Alzheimer” for “autism”.  Take a look:

The Bill’s Preamble is:

<b>“Preamble</b>

Whereas Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are progressive, degenerative diseases of the brain that produce impairment of thought processes and memory and changes in abilities and behaviour, erode independence and eventually cause death;

Whereas, in Canada, there are more than 500,000 persons living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia;

Whereas, as Canada’s population ages, the number of Canadians diagnosed with these diseases is expected to double within a generation;

And whereas research, early diagnosis and support for treatment can lead to positive health outcomes for persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia and can have a positive impact on the family and friends who provide care for them;

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:”

 

So what does the Bill enact?  First, the creation of an Alzheimer’s office within the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

And what would be the mandate of the office?

“<b>Mandate</b>

<b>(3) </b>The mandate of the Office is to accomplish the following:

<b>(a) </b>develop and implement a national plan to address all aspects of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia;

<b>(b) </b>make recommendations to the Minister on ways to strengthen Canada’s capacity to care for and deliver programs to persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia;

<b>(c) </b>convene a round table of persons interested in matters respecting Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia; and

<b>(d) </b>support the Minister in his or her efforts to coordinate, with international bodies, the Canadian contribution to the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.”

 

And what would this “national plan” be about? The Bill goes on to state the following about how it is to be developed, what its purpose is, and what its content should be:

 

“<b>National plan</b>

<b>12.</b><b>‍</b><b>2 (1) </b>The national plan is developed in cooperation with representatives of the provincial and territorial governments responsible for health, health care professionals and other caregivers, basic and clinical researchers, and advocacy groups with an interest in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

 

<b>Purpose</b>

<b> </b>

<b>(2) </b>The purpose of the plan is to set out specific national objectives in order to improve the situation of persons living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, to improve diagnostic and treatment capabilities and to decrease the burden of these diseases on Canadian society.

 

<b>Content</b>

<b> </b>

<b>(3) </b>The plan shall include measures

<b>(a) </b>to accelerate the discovery and development of treatments that would prevent, halt or reverse the course of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia;

<b>(b) </b>to coordinate research in clinical populations while ensuring the inclusion in this research of populations at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia as well as of those least likely to receive care;

<b>(c) </b>to disseminate emerging clinical diagnostic and treatment guidelines based on new research;

<b>(d) </b>to establish and disseminate best practices for improving the quality of life of persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia and supporting health care professionals and other caregivers;

<b>(e) </b>to develop and disseminate information on the importance of prevention, early intervention and management of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia to health care professionals and other caregivers as well as to the general public;

<b>(f) </b>to encourage greater investment in all areas of research on Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia; and

<b>(g) </b>to increase the availability of specialists — including geriatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists and advanced practice nurses — with specialized knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and to make the best use of those resources through interprofessional collaboration.”

 

The Bill adds another section about annual reporting:

 

<b>“Annual report</b>

<b> </b>

<b>12 (1) </b>The Chief Public Health Officer shall, within six months after the end of each fiscal year, submit a report to the Minister on the state of public health in Canada <u>and on the effectiveness of the national plan referred to in section 12.</u><u>‍</u><u>2, including any recommendations regarding the implementation of the plan</u>.”

 

I wonder if Mike Lake or Senator Munson or any other speaker at the autism awareness rallies ever considered using this Bill as a model for a Bill that would result in the creation of an autism office in PHAC and a corresponding “National Autism Plan”?  Any chance that the national autism organizations like CASDA or Autism Canada or Autism Speaks will refer to this Bill and draft a model based on it?  Why not? 

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

For the past couple of years Senator Munson has, on occasion, suggested that some programs that the federal government has put in place are good “social infrastructure” building blocks and that the government needs to build upon them.  He often referred to the creation of the RDSP and the “Ready, Willing and Able” employment program for persons with disabilities (http://readywillingable.ca/).  Unfortunately, it is hard to “build on foundations” when the foundations keep sinking into quicksand or melting away, isn’t it?  In yesterday’s Senate Debates (October 2, 2018) Senator Munson asked a question of a Minister who entered the Senate, and mentioned that there have been cuts to “Ready, Willing and Able” program funding (surprise!) and that the program has stopped operating in some provinces (surprise again!).  Well, well….What could justify such a funding cut by the Liberals?  Could it be that it was because it was a program put in place by the previous Conservative government (which automatically makes it a bad program unworthy of continued funding?). And what are the Liberals going to do?  Replace it with anything?  Perhaps create another website?  Note the answer of the Minister: that’s not my department, but never fear, we Liberals want every Canadian to be able to participate in society, bla, bla.  And just how does cutting the funding that helped disabled people find employment help them to participate? One step forward, one step back, one step forward, one step….you get the picture.
<h2 id=”50″>”Ministry of Families, Children and Social Development</h2>

<h3 id=”51″>Ready, Willing and Able—Program Support</h3>

<b>Hon. Jim Munson: </b>I have a question for the minister. Thank you for pitching in today because there are other issues besides NAFTA. There are issues of children’s rights, issues of autism; there are issues that matter to all of us here.

Minister Duclos, you are Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. You know that an incredible program called Ready, Willing and Able has been underway for a couple of years now in which the federal government is involved in employing adults across the country. There are private sector people involved. There are a couple of thousand people who would not be working, who would be at home playing a video game, but now are actively working in companies like Shoppers and Costco. This program has been supported by the autism community. There have been cutbacks recently, causing it to be phased out. I’m very disappointed to see that. For example, the cutting of funding has meant services offered to Canadians with disabilities have come to a halt in Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, P.E.I., Saskatchewan and Yukon. It remains active in only six other provinces.

I know there will be a budget submission, but this program, which began under a previous government, has been so successful. Minister, it is about inclusion. I implore you and your cabinet colleagues to take another good look at this to see how well it is working. I hope I can get a clear answer on that today from you. Thank you, minister.

<b>Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: </b> Thank you so much for your warm welcome. I’m slightly sorry for the fact that I’m part of the disappointment of being with you today. I know you were expecting someone else. I’m still very pleased with your reception. I’ll make sure that my colleague understands that he is very much welcome to this house, and he will be looking forward to answering all of the other important questions that I will not be able to address myself.

I’m also pleased and proud to hear voices from this chamber on issues that matter to me very dearly, in particular the program you mentioned, which is not part of my department but is part of my colleague’s departmental responsibility for people with disabilities. And it has a slight connection to training and participation in our society, which are indeed very important parts of our mandate as a government. We are very much focused on two things: first, to make sure that every Canadian has a chance to participate to the fullness of his or her ability in the development of our society and our economy; and, second, to benefit fairly from the benefits of that growth and social development.

So I’m very pleased to hear that, and I will make sure that my colleague understands your questions and concerns.”

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

Here we go again!  Another autism website!  In the 20 odd years of the internet’s existence we have witnessed a mushrooming growth of websites, and that includes websites relating to autism. As you may recall, on February 28 this year, the federal government’s budget announced the contribution of $10.9 million to two autism organizations that were going to create a new, really good and useful, autism website.  As I recall, one of the officials from the Miriam Foundation in Montreal was quoted on a TV newsclip as suggesting that “there’s nothing out there” and this new website was going to be a place where Canadians from coast to coast could get all the information they needed about autism.  Today I looked at the “news” section of the Miriam Foundation’s website, and the most recent news item is the February 28, 2018, news release about the budget provision.

However, it now appears that the government-sponsored website may be obsolete before it is even launched.

On September 25 (just a few days ago) Autism Speaks issued a press release which stated the following:

“Autism Speaks Canada Launches Connect, Canada’s First Virtual Platform to Engage and Inform the Autism Community

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2018 /CNW/ – Autism Speaks Canada today launched the country’s first national, multi-faceted virtual platform that is intended to revolutionize the way people in the autism community interact with each other.  Designed to bring the community together, Autism Speaks Canada Connect will foster collaboration, improve navigation, consolidate resources and provide mentorship opportunities like never before.

“What began as a desire to consolidate information and resources has evolved into something bigger.  Regardless of age, stage, need or geographic location, Connect’s comprehensive offering has the potential to service every Canadian impacted by autism,” said Jill Farber, executive director of Autism Speaks Canada.  “I look forward to Connect being embraced by individuals, families, clinical professionals, service providers, researchers, service organizations and military families, from coast to coast to coast.” “

The new website is here:  https://connect.autismspeaks.ca/home

Instead of so many people in our community spending so much time, energy and money creating websites that may be duplicative, how about just one website and spending some surplus resources to hire a full-time professional lobbyist to work in Ottawa campaigning for a National Autism Strategy that would see the inclusion of autism treatment in Medicare?

Years ago Ralph Boren wrote a manual for civil servants titled “When in doubt, mumble!”.   As technology evolves and changes human behavior, I suspect any updated edition would be titled something like “When in doubt, create a website!”

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

Well, this week appears to be Senator Art Eggleton’s last week in the Senate. He is turning 75 and is required to vacate his seat and take a pension.  As you may recall, Senator Eggleton chaired the committee that created the 2007 “Pay Now or Pay Later” report on funding for autism treatment.

On Wednesday this week there were a number of tributes paid to him in the Senate and he replied with an expression of thanks.  The speeches were full of elaborations on what a great person the Senator is and outstanding his accomplishments.  How many times did the word “autism” come up?  Once.  And it was not even in his final speech. Instead, another Senator made reference to some “groundbreaking reports”, including one “on autism”.

In his final speech Senator Eggleton explained that after he joined one of the Senate committees, he “… decided to dedicate my time, energy and passion to social justice and health care issues, particularly the needs of our most vulnerable citizens.”

Question: after the 2007 “Pay Now or Pay Later” report, did Senator Eggleton do or say anything relating to autism?  Did he organize or participate in any activities either behind the scenes or in front of the scenes to actually keep the recommendations of the report on the hot plate and put pressure on the government to do something?  I know my memory does occasionally fail me, but since 2007 I don’t recall him making any speeches dedicated to the topic (either in or out of Parliament).  I don’t recall him attending any “awareness” rallies.  Maybe he did.  Of course I don’t know what goes on behind the curtains on Parliament Hill, but I do know this: since 2007 neither Senator Eggleton, nor anyone else, ever said to me that Senator Eggleton was doing something and that the community should contact him to offer support in one way or another, etc.  Perhaps that’s why he did not utter the word “autism” in his final speech.  Some champions make efforts and are successful in sustaining the pressure and try to keep the momentum going.  Such champions are hard to come by.

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

From House of Commons Hansard, Wed. Sept. 26, 2018:

“Autism

<b>Mr. Francesco Sorbara (Vaughan—Woodbridge, Lib.): </b>

Mr. Speaker, Temple Grandin, an individual with autism and an advocate for those on the spectrum, once said, “I am different, not less.”

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge two remarkable women in my riding of Vaughan—Woodbridge, Ellen Contardi and Loredana Presutto, who desire to make a difference for children with autism and their families. Like Temple Grandin, they believe that, “There needs to be a lot more emphasis on what a child can do instead of what he cannot do.” In just three short years, Waves of Changes for Autism has raised community awareness and provided much-needed financial resources to families.

Tomorrow evening, I will join more than 1,000 guests at the third annual Waves of Changes for Autism gala. Today is also Gender Equality Week.

I urge my colleagues to join me in thanking Ellen and Loredana for their vision to help children on the spectrum achieve their full potential.”

If you visit the website of this organization (https://www.wavesofchanges.ca/apply-for-funding/), it seems that they try to raise funds and then distribute them to families who need financial assistance for “children’s therapies and specialized programs”.  One the page where they provide information on applying for funds they state “<i>Waves of Changes for Autism is not</i> affiliated with and does not endorse, any specific organization or agency that provides care, treatment, and/or related services to persons with developmental disorders and accordingly we cannot guarantee or endorse the accuracy of the information provided by those agencies and/or organizations.”  However, the list of the things they fund begins with “ABA/IBI”. Curiously, they don’t seem to repeat those acronyms anywhere else on their website (apart from one “testimonial”) and they don’t spell out what those letters stand for or why ABA/IBI is so important.  Nonetheless, this seems to be a charity that raises money to help families with accessing treatment in the private sector, and that’s certainly an endeavor worthy of commendation.

I wonder whether any of the politicians in the House who heard about this organization and their fund-raising events ever wondered why was it necessary to fundraise for treatment that the courts determined many moons ago was “medically necessary”? Did any of the politicians in the House wonder whether there were any other diseases or disorders that were as prevalent (1 in 66) in Canada for which charities and families had to engage in fundraising activities because Medicare ignored them and whatever programs are offered by social services departments and school boards, etc. were clearly inadequate”? Did Mike Lake get up and take advantage of the obvious opportunity to tell the House that what this charity was doing was wonderful, but in a rich, developed and otherwise civilized society like Canada the costs of the treatment should be covered by our already-existing and decades-old public health insurance system and that this discrimination should cease and steps should be taken to ensure that treatment costs are covered by Medicare so that such charities and fundraising activities (as if families with children with autism don’t have enough on their plates already) would be obsolete and unnecessary? Nope.  It is possible that some other politicians will join Mr. Sorbara at the gala, enjoy a nice dinner, have some wine, congratulate the organizers on a job well done, and wish them continued success.  The way things are framed sometimes just misses the big picture and significance or implications of what is going on.  So much for “awareness”.

[Author]

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