Queens, NY: Another autism group home?
Jun 30
Bellerose residents slam group home for autistic kids
By Howard Koplowitz
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Bellerose residents are saying “not in my backyard” to an Astoria nonprofit’s plan to set up a group home for autistic children on 247th Street, arguing that a similar home is operating just nine houses away.
In a letter to Cory Polshansky, deputy executive director for the Astoria-based Quality Services for the Autism Community, Bellerose resident Virginia Salow said she was concerned about the proximity of the proposed home, at 88-01 247th St., to a similar home one block down and to the schoolyard at St. Gregory’s.
“You have my and my neighbors’ strongest objection to this action and we call upon you to reconsider this foolish and dangerous proposal,” Salow wrote.
Gary Maffei, executive director of QSAC, said the nonprofit was not aware of the other group home, but said it is up to the state to decide whether his agency’s home is approved.
Salow also accused Community Board 13 Chairman Bryan Block of “negligence” for failing to put the group home on the board’s May agenda. . . .
“I don’t like so many group homes so close to each other in a community,” she said. “My major thrust is the location because it’s next to St. Gregory’s ballfield. I think it’s a poor location.”
My comment:
This story brings up another issue that isn’t being discussed here. We’re told there’s opposition to a group home for autistic children “just nine houses away” from another group home for children with autism. Why isn’t anyone asking why there’s such a need to provide for children with autism?
This is just the beginning. One percent of US children have a diagnosis of autism, including almost two percent of boys. When we talk about autism, we’re always talking about children with autism. No one has ever shown us a comparable rate among adults, especially adults with severe autism, whose symptoms can’t be denied.
Dr. Thomas Insel, head of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) created by Congress to deal with autism, has said that 80 percent of Americans with autism are under the age of 18 and he warned that we need “to prepare for a million people who may be in need of significant services.” Nothing is being done to prepare for the approaching tsunami of dependent adults that will descend on social services in the coming years. The IACC now calls autism “a national health emergency.”
A study in 2006 from Harvard researcher Michael Ganz found that lifetime cost for ONE INDIVIDUAL WITH AUTISM is $3.2 million. Others put the cost at between $5 and $10 million PER PERSON. It’s frightening to think about what will be there in the near future for the autism generation as they age into adulthood and parents can no longer care for them. We need to be addressing autism as a national crisis.
The issue of group homes for adults with autism will be talked about everywhere.
Anne Dachel
Media editor: Age of Autism
annedachel.com
Jul 01 at 02:40
Dear Anne,
I followed the link to this story from your Facebook post and immediately after reading this outrageous Story, about a Constiuents “concerns” and and Assemblywoman’s response, I wrote this in an email to the Reporter. It’s a just after 3:30am and I can’t sleep anymore because of the Tragic, Immoral and Inhumane state of Autism. I am unemployed 29 months now, due to my High-functioning Autism and I cannot become re-employed with a College degree and I cannot stay in school much longer without the income to Pay for School. I am in my 7th College of Higher Academics, after graduating HS in 1981 and going straight into College. I have a learning disability and I cannot receive a diagnosis or support, as an Adult, because I don’t “Seem Autistic!”; I am Too “Articulate, Intellectual, Intelligent, Polished, Professional, Pretty!” I Am that Invisible Adult on the Autism Spectrum, in the process of writing my book, started even before I Knew or, no longer in denial of who I Am, in 2006. This “Queens” story UnBlocked my writers Block and many, many People I know will be happy to know this, though I am not doing it for them. I Am writing my Book for the Child I still Am and will always be and for my Autistic Family!
Here’s the Email. Let Us Begin the Good Fight, Now! I also threw my Hat in the Ring to have Dinner with the President and this past Monday, I was privileged to be on the “Monthly Disability Call”, facilitated by Kareem Davis, Head of the Disability Division of the Federal Government, reporting directly to the President. On the call was Dr. Jill Biden, Lynae Ruttledge and Sharon Lewis. It was inspiring and very informative and it renewed my Faith.
***Email***
“Hello Mr. Koplowitz,
I am Outraged at this Story.
To see such blatant and horrific lack of empathy, compassion, care and Love, from an Elected Official, whose Sole purpose for Being, is to Equally, Fairly, Openly, Fearlessly, Righteously and Successfully Represent All Her Constituents, is Showing Her True Colors, and unashamedly so, is totally unacceptable, is Outrageous and calls for Action.
Assemblywoman Clark should immediately be removed from Her post and made to publicly apologize to each and every Family with an Autistic Child, Teen, Adult, Middle and Senior-aged.
How about we put a “Cap” on the number of a particular ethnic, racial, and/or cultural group, in Her District?
How about we put a “Cap” on the number of a given group allowed to rent and own homes, in Her district?
How about we put a cap on the number of Children that can attend schools, in Her district, each school year?
By speaking against “another group home”, She is saying, Out Loud, “I, Assemblywoman Clark, do not Care for Autistic People in our Society and I don’t want Them in My District!”
Well, Assemblywoman Clark should be Removed from the District, and banned for Life from Politics, because She is an Offender and Abuser of People with Autism and Intellectual and Developmental Challenges!
How about I replace Assemblywoman Clark, and show her and this Queens District how to Care for All Gods Children!!!!!
Assemblywoman Clark does not want to be responsible or held accountable, to Her Duties and She evidently forgot the Oath She swore to Up Hold when She Took Her Elected Office position. It is time to remind Assemblywoman Clark exactly who She is Supposed to be representing, and Why.
Autism is Not a dis-Ease, dis-Order or dis-Ability.
Autism is Being Differently Abled.
AUTISM IS A GIFT FROM GOD!
I have Extremely High-Functioning Autism, Today, after being non-verbal and mentally retarded from birth until age 7, which makes me a Brilliant Intellectual Genius, Today!
I never want to Change, or be “cured”, because God made Me Perfect. I was Not a Mistake and neither are the Millions of other Citizens in America.
I am going to represent, honor, cherish, nurture, develop, motivate, encourage, support, mentor, teach, educate, care for, Praise, Serve, Protect and Love All those who are Not and are Autistic, like Me, particularly the Children.
I am creating for them what was not there for Me!
I would welcome the opportunity to meet Assemblywoman Clark in a public forum with the entire District, for a lively debate and discussion.
Change is Now and Awareness is Here, because it is Time!
Who Am I?
“I Am Autism SPEAKING LOUDER Than Ever Before!” – by Patricia Elaine Chandler
Copyright (c) 2011
Please see the attached and thank you so much for an excellent story and accounting of events, and your time and patience.
I am creating an National Advocacy group:
Americans With Autism and Developmental Challenges (AWAADC) and its inception is on LinkedIn and my.barackobama.com.
I Volunteer for the American Museum of Natural History and OFA/Organizing for America, to re-elect our US President.
Last year, I volunteered for a Local Congressional Candidate during the primary election.
Mrs. Maritza Poventud is an Awesome Advocate for Autism and PWDD, in her Community, a wife and Amazing Mother to Her 27 year old Autistic Son Danny, who resides in a Home, and Thank God Danny Can!
Patricia Elaine Chandler
Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn, NY”
Jul 02 at 00:03
It seems to me that now that the leading edge of the Autism wave are aging out, there will be a sprinkling of autistic adults in every neighborhood of the entire USA. There will demands for group homes by the parents of these autistic adults. The parents will be spearheading the formation of group homes and I believe they will be a group home in every neighborhood in the USA. There will be no place that will be a GROUP HOME FREE zone.