Is Florida hostile toward the disabled?

Every week there is another incident of government employees – teachers police and others abusing handicapped people in Florida.  Here is the latest story:  http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-09-29/story/former-flagler-cop-pleads-not-contest-abuse-disabled-charge

Seriously, as an adult with autism, I am understand the best way to defuse hairy public situations is to carry a card explaining the challenges I face and how the people around me and law enforcement officials can deescalate and defuse the situation. 

From prior news reports about Florida police, schools and hospitals, it is clear that there is a zero tolerance policy for people with disabilities.  We have seen school officials ignore bullying complaints, allow abusive teachers to continue on their jobs, Doctors who over medicate – even to the point of death by overdose – disabled children have their faculty duties reassigned, police shoot disabled and mentally challenged people in the face, all in 2010.  The notion of giving a police officer a card that says I have autism and here is how to deescalate the situation and resolve it with civility is really not going to work.

This is beyond a trend this is an epidemic that the state elected officials have refused to deal with.  The comments I get tend to be “we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation.”  To hide behind each incident as isolated and unique give tacit approval to the hostile environment towards disability that exists in the state of Florida.

Elected officials in Florida need to learn that respecting the disabled is more than providing reserved blue parking spaces for seniors and added local revenue through parking violations on the folk who park there without a permit.  It is acceptance and working to integrate people with disabilities into society.

©2010 Dan Homan

That’s why they call it insurance

I don’t mind politicians saying things that they really do not mean, that can happen in the course of conversation.  What I do mind however, is politicians who initiated the moment say things that clearly demonstrate their inability to understand the issues and the big picture.  Take this example:  http://www.care2.com/causes/politics/blog/angle-no-one-needs-autism/.

At issue here are not overrule political views or philosophy, a but what needs to be recognized is that share and Engel clearly displayed a lack of understanding of several issues.  As a politician with political aspirations for the U.S. Senate and particularly addressing a crowd of people in the tes party movement who do not want Federal government involvement in local issues, she made a reference to the Federal government changing and overriding state law.

She also indicated that she has no concept of insurance.  The last I checked to the definition of insurance was the contract with the company that would indemnify you against unexpected and unplanned for costs.  For her to say quote I’d don’t plan on becoming pregnant, so I do not need for pregnancy insurance, is a clear indication that she has no grasp of the concept of insurance.  The republicans stand against abortion?  If so then shouldn’t it be a law that every unplanned pregnancy or planned pregnancy be covered under insurance so that the cost of having the baby is not prohibitive?

Take it a step farther no one plans on having cancer, but if that tragedy should strike, insurance should be there to cover the contingency.  I also take exception to her comments about autism.  Autism is a genetic condition, people are born with it.  It is not planned for, and people don’t really want it.  I  myself am used to it, and live with it, but I would not necessarily want to be this way if I had a second bite at the apple.  It is nice that she lives in a state where coverage for treatment and remediation is available and required by law.  So many other states do not require coverage for autism treatment.  If anything problem in our society is that people with autism cannot get the appropriate treatment that they need.  As an adult who was diagnosed with autism at age 53 I resent the fact that treatments available for numerous lifestyle conditions are not available if the underlying diagnosis is autism.

What we have in this country that is called Health Insurance is so far from being true insurance that perhaps it is time to get back to the basics.  Routine medical expenses such as vaccinations, routine Health Care, while care, well baby care, annual checkups, and even gym memberships and up being covered, while treatment for excessive and catastrophic Health Care treatment is not.  When did we redefine insurance?

I do not like the Federal government’s approach to Health Care reform.  I think that any politician who shares this lady’s views provides just as poor of an alternative.  She should be accountable for her words and clarified their position be kosher use just plateau wrong if, if and should not be elected if she’s going to exclude people with permanent disabilities from treatment coverage through private insurance.

©2010 Dan Homan

This Type of Thing in Florida is Getting so Old

Here we go again.  A handicapped girl is bullied on a school bus.  The father goes through proper channels, complains to the school district, the school district employees (read government representatives) do not do anything.  The father takes matters into his own hands and although he had no physical contact with anyone – he was arrested.  See the story here:  http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39232388/ns/today-parenting/

Is it me or am I the only one that sees the “open season” attitude towards the disabled in the Florida education system?  This is a trend, no, it is a pandemic.  People need to be fired – school staff, school board members, the state superintendent, and the Governor who appointed him.  This trend is so disturbing, a physically and mentally challenged student shot in the face by University of Florida police, a State University professor in Miami who fatally over prescribes anti depressants to a pre teen autistic boy without punishment, three special ed teachers in a Florida school district charged with abusing handicapped students, and now this.  This is not a coincidence, this is an attitude problem in government.  Forget impeachment, elected officials who allow this to go on should be incarcerated.

It is horrible that a man busted onto a school bus like that.  It is worse that he felt he had to because the school officials failed to act.  The real crime is that a father is arrested for defending his disabled child’s honor, and everyone else gets a pass, from the buss driver to the matron, the do nothing school officials.

Of course I have a few obligatory questions:

Why were the police called on the father, but not on the bullies?

Why was this video released and not the one of the bullies? 

Why didn’t any of the adults speak English?

Why isn’t any one speaking up?

This father was wrong in his behavior, but, it seems he only acted when the school district did nothing.  In my book that makes him a hero.

©2010 Dan Homan