Monday, March 19, 2012

Autism is Not A Tragedy (In Memory of George Hodgins & others Like Him)

Hello again, everyone sorry I haven’t been writing in a little while, personal family emergency with my mother who needed surgery she is home and fine now, and I was feeling a bit down over the winter, but I am fine now! 

What I am writing I have my sister Janet’s blessing to do this opinion piece article too (she is a single mother & has 2 young adult Autistic sons)  I just wanted to say in light of all the hatred towards special need children & Autistic children, there is an awful wave of hate crimes going around in guise of mercy killings (real name is murder), abuses towards us Autistics both young and old etc. It disgusts me that parents/carers in a role of responsibility & trust would do such horrible things to us, namely this article from the San Jose Mercury where an Autistic young man named George was murdered by his mother Elizabeth. In which his mother received all the symptathies etc, but not George who was forgotten especially by the public & by a so called Autism organization called the Autism Society of America, who forgot the victim George in favour of the murderer,George’s mother Elizabeth:

Here is that letter, please know I now longer support ASA due to this issue, If they can forget George they forget the rest of us Autistics as well.  Courtesy of Autistic Hoya Blogger Lydia Brown:

This was written in response to the Autism Society's statement about the murder of 22 year old George Hodgins, an Autistic man whose mother shot first him and then herself in early March 2012. I have included the ASA statement below.

Appendix

March 17 Letters to the Editor, Mercury News
Originally visible here.

Cuts to adult disability support are devastating

The tragic story of Elizabeth Hodgins, who last week took her own life and that of her 22-year-old son with autism, leaves us truly devastated. While this incident is an anomaly, it shows that high stress on parents is very common in the autism community. We fear that stories such as these will continue if families still feel hopeless in their struggles.

According to the Mercury News, Hodgins was exhausted trying to find a program for her son. Like most states, California provides little or no appropriate support to individuals with developmental disabilities once they turn 22. In addition, California has cut $1 billion in developmental disabilities services during the past three years, and the Department of Developmental Services will cut another $200 million within the next year.

We cannot wait long for change. Autism diagnosis is experiencing a staggering growth rate. Today, 65 percent of all state regional center intakes relate to autism. The divorce rate among parents with a child with autism is as high as 70 percent due to the pressure.

Scott Badesch
President and COO Autism Society of America

Marcia Eichelberger
President Autism Society of California
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Believe it or not I really do respect parents, single parents, carers etc of Autistic & other special needs people’s however murder is not acceptable in society no matter what the carers/parents are experiencing,if you need help please go get some help, or move away, or something, however this murder is inexcusable by any standards, I am sorry for your situation, this sets a dangerous precident that murder is the only way out, well I have news for you ITS NOT! I post lots of links all the time on my facebook account that can help those of you who do need the help, and please don’t say just because I am not a parent I don’t understand that. This is poppycock! as the parents I talked to agree with me and are just as appalled by this murder, all those who feel sorry for this parent murderer ought to be ashamed of themselves, and her family ought to be ashamed too for maybe not helping enough and the father must have seen this coming too?
Here are some links from the Autcast blog created by Landon Bryce:

Just to let parents/carers know that we having feelings & dreams too! We are capable of loving, & contributing to society as well! I hope the Autism Society of America is ashamed of themselves knowing they support a murderer.
Here is a blog that I thought was kinda of neutral but unsure anyway this blog is by Autism mother Elaine Hall just for your information: 


Ms. Hall feels sorry for both although I think she should have sided with George a little more…
And to conclude this blog (maybe be amended for future updates as more information becomes available) here is an anti bullying poem by my niece Brittany Doell (she is the daughter from another sister I have, as I have two older sisters), please spread this video around viral thank you! ) 



Thank you & please take care!