My Hope of a Better Day: Equality, Quality, and Inclusion

When Obama gave his acceptance speech in November, it was the first time I'd ever seen or heard him speak. I'd read bits of transcripts of his speeches, and read a lot of discussions about his speeches, but I'd never actually seen or heard him speak. Because "Obama speaking" is nowhere near my areas of Interest, because following spoken language is so exhausting for me I tend to ration my exposure to it, and because anyway, politicians just blah blah blah about stuff that is so completely divorced from my reality, needs, or concerns--

So when the TV tuned to Obama's acceptance speech last fall, his unexpected and exquisitely stated inclusion of me in his words, "disabled and not disabled," literally made me cry. And I do not cry easily. I have gone years before without shedding a single tear.

I cried again the next day, and even more profusely, when I read Obama's Disabilities Agenda because educational opportunities, an end to discrimination, access to employment, and support for independent living are, as a disabled adult in the U.S., pretty much exactly what's on my agenda too.

And I didn't quite cry, but I did come close, a third time when I learned that the Obama transition team spoke with (not for!) autistic adults to learn what our hopes really are.

It is my hope that Obama follows through with his disabilities agenda, as stated. It is my hope that Obama continues to include autistic adults as direct consultants in all matters which directly affect the autistic population. It is my hope that the coming years will bring significant improvements to equality, quality of life, and true inclusion for all individuals on the autistic spectrum.