Letter: Respond to the needs of those with autism

As a parent of a soon-to-be-young adult with autism/developmental disabilities, who will soon be aging out of the school systems at age 22 in Illinois, who has seen this state rank for at least the last 10-to-20 years, between 44th and last in the nation in providing services for our sons and daughters, I ask our state legislators to provide an answer to the following questions.

What are your ideas for improving and expanding the options and capacity in the state developmental disability system in the areas of reducing the states Prioritization for Urgency of Need for Services (PUNS) waiting list? Housing? Employment? Healthcare and the Home-Based Waiver Program?

If you don't have ideas on how to solve these problems that have existed for at least a decade, then why not and why should we continue to support and vote for you in 2020? Especially since the only options left when we as parents can no longer take care of our children, who will need lifetime support and protection, are to live in Illinois communities with support or state-operated developmental centers, which will cost the state more money?

Do you have answers? If not then why not?

Mike Baker

Schaumburg