S. 937, Expanding the Promise for Individuals with Autism Act of 2007

This legislation provides $350 million for the purpose of improving access to comprehensive treatments, interventions, and services exclusively for individuals with autism and their families. The bill also proposes to provide exclusive grant opportunities to University Centers of Excellence for Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD)  to carry out multiyear autism “training initiatives” and to develop up to 4 more UCEDD’s; and to state protection and advocacy (P&A) systems to address the needs of individuals with autism.  

VOR has significant concerns about the exclusivity that permeates the bill. The proposed initiatives signal out people with autism and their families to the exclusion of people with other developmental disabilities. VOR strongly opposes the bill’s proposals to centralize control for the administration of autism research, treatment, interventions and services in the hands of a select few.  Such centralized control would make it vulnerable to abuses and prone to emphasizing cost savings over quality of care.  For example, the bill proposes non-competitive exclusive grant opportunities to University Centers of Excellence for Developmental Disabilities for the purpose of pursuing “national training initiatives,” and to P&A’s for the purpose of providing advocacy services and legal representation, in each case without regard to whether others may be better qualified, better suited and/or more cost-effective for these roles.

VOR * 836 S. Arlington Heights Rd., #351 * Elk Grove Village, Illinois * 60007

877-399-4VOR ph. * 847-253-0675 fax * tamie327@hotmail.com