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What Am I Asking For?
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Christmas is the time for giving. You know that. Actually, all year we are to give of ourselves and what we have. But we focus on this at this time of the year. I would like to see you show support for the autism community, and it will not cost you a cent, only a little of your time. I have set up an autism petition at Change.org over two years ago, and I had set it up at SignOn.org about a year ago. In it, I appeal to the US Congress and to the US President to send funds to all 50 states so states can set up affordable autism services for all those who want or need them.
Why Is This So Important?
Autism is a lifelong neurological disorder that affects the way a person sees himself, others, and the world. It affects how the autistic person relates to others. Levels of function range from the "high-functioning" Asperger's Syndrome to more severe forms of autism where an autistic person deals with cognitive and behavioral challenges. Every autistic person's autism is unique; autism cannot be stereotyped by the well-known "Rain Man" image in the Dustin Hoffmann film. Many autistic persons need no services, but far more, especially children, need affordable services. Without these services they cannot get officially diagnosed; without that diagnosis, it's legally impossible to access any form of autism support services. Hence, I have created a petition calling for those services for those who want but can't afford them.
Why Do We Christians Need To Be Concerned?
First of all, God loves and cares for all of us, and that includes autistic persons of all ages. He wants us to show His love to all people, as much as we can. Also, autistic adults and parents with autistic children have felt unwelcome in most Christian congregations, and I know that many still do. As the mom of a beautiful, precious daughter with diagnosed autism, and as a person who is suspected to have an ASD myself due to my past and present challenges, I have known this anguish of feeling unwelcome by a number of people in the Christian community. You take a small but important first step (depending on your connection with autism) by signing my autism petition, which I'm making available on widgets here, so you can more easily sign it and share it without leaving this blog to go to Change.org or to SignOn.org. Your support means a lot to us in the autism community!
Always in Christ,
Lisa DeSherlia
Please Sign This Petition Here
Thank You For Sharing Your Support and God's Love!
Both images at the top are courtesy of MorgueFile.com. The first image is found here & the second image is found here.
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