Documentary |
Severe Autism: A Strange Kind of Homelessness…
“If our legislators had to spend one day, one hour, with my child they would understand the urgency of the situation.” Parent
In our pursuit to create housing that meets the needs of children with severe autism, we have met with many obstacles. Government agencies that fund these kinds of projects are struggling with decreasing budgets and the culture at large supports a least restrictive environment trend for people with disabilities. This means individuals with disabilities are mainstreamed and kept in their homes. Mainstreaming is a wonderful idea, but not suitable for severe autism. Children and adults with classic or severe autism cannot live in mainstream environments without great suffering. They cannot handle the sensory input of normal life and need a special kind of environment. Something as simple as a vacuum, a blender, or a lawn mower can cause them extreme pain. Routine life happenings, like getting a haircut or going to a store, are nearly impossible much of the time. These children are rarely out in public, live very isolated lives, and are essentially a hidden population. Hidden and suffering!
Minnesota has the #1 autism population in the country for cases per capita and desperately needs appropriate housing. Currently we have a legislative moratorium forbidding the development of new group homes, with additional restrictions on the development of residential communities where these individuals might live with their autism supported. Additionally, there are huge financial constraints that prevent us from creating alternatives without government support. We need to change legislation and find funding. In order to do this, we need to educate the public, funders, and legislators about the plight of this largely hidden population.
We at The End of the Spectrum are launching a fundraising campaign to create a documentary to tell this story; a story about children and young adults that need a very special kind of environment. What is a day like for these young people? What are their challenges and how can we help to improve the quality of their lives?
Currently we are in discussion with Public Television about a joint venture. If this comes to pass our ½ of the project will be around $40,000. This is our current target amount for fundraising. Please consider donating to this documentary project to be completed in 2013.
Minnesota has the #1 autism population in the country for cases per capita and desperately needs appropriate housing. Currently we have a legislative moratorium forbidding the development of new group homes, with additional restrictions on the development of residential communities where these individuals might live with their autism supported. Additionally, there are huge financial constraints that prevent us from creating alternatives without government support. We need to change legislation and find funding. In order to do this, we need to educate the public, funders, and legislators about the plight of this largely hidden population.
We at The End of the Spectrum are launching a fundraising campaign to create a documentary to tell this story; a story about children and young adults that need a very special kind of environment. What is a day like for these young people? What are their challenges and how can we help to improve the quality of their lives?
Currently we are in discussion with Public Television about a joint venture. If this comes to pass our ½ of the project will be around $40,000. This is our current target amount for fundraising. Please consider donating to this documentary project to be completed in 2013.
