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@timporter_ONT If this is your idea of consultation, then I think we might have discovered the crux of the problem, here. Firstly, I don’t believe there is a single member of the Autism Community who believes those Dec-Jan “RoundTables” were actually consultation.
The Ministry’s Plan was prepared. Those meetings were a smokescreen. A last attempt effort to try to get approval for your disaster program you were preparing to unleash on families in crisis. I would love to see evidence that even one parent consulted supported an age cap.
Lifetime cut-offs. Flat rates. None of this is in line with what parents actually need. January 28 was a farce. 14 parents sat and were timed for 3 minutes. We were given our opportunity to say “Needs based services”. I chose to ask the Minister how she felt about the ASD
Community being prepared to stand against a program should it be modelled after that of B.C. The Minister has been on defence since Day 1. The Minister of WOMEN and CHILDREN asked me if I was threatening her. No, Tim. We were promising that should
the revised OAP fail to recognize the needs of 40K+ children and youth with ASD, should it fail to support families, should it trigger anxiety and depression, should it send us into a state of chaos and crisis—WHEN WE ARE ALREADY IN A STATE OF CHAOS and CRISIS, that we would
Stand against it. We are not the enemy Tim. We are looking for actual consultation. Not 30 seconds into an abyss during a TownHall. Not checkboxes on a carefully crafted survey. We are looking for conversation. Dialogue. We want to look into the eyes of the Minister
And tell her why this plan will fall far too short. Why this will cost the government more in the long run. Why this is the furthest thing from equitable. Why this is missing the mark for children who require INTENSIVE therapy in order to be productive members of society.
January 28 was a scheduled 90 minute meeting. Minister @MacLeodLisa left suddenly, and abruptly to head back to Toronto after 57 minutes, when parents started asking questions. @AmyFeePC stayed behind to talk to parents. THAT is consultation. As a constituent of
@MacLeodLisa it is frustrating that we cannot seem to make contact with anyone in her office beyond the receptionist. We are not the enemy Tim. These changes are going to devastate our family. We have no other choice than to try to be heard. WE ARE PARENTS. You cannot tell
Me that any other parent wouldn’t do the same. On February 8, we held our first of many weekly protests outside The Minister’s office door. The two of you came out to appear before the cameras. The Minister invited us in, but not before privately giving a tearful
Statement to the media. This was PR, Tim. Three mums, myself included sat. We appreciate that you sat quietly, hands clasped in your lap, nodding appropriately, as I recounted through tears how 97% of my son’s therapy and our family support would be stripped away under this plan.
How we spend our days, cleaning up broken toys, wiping feces from the walls, wiping away blood from our necks and faces. I cried like a desperate mother, pleading for mercy from her own MPP. You sat and repeated that “it was never going to happen”, that under the old program
My daughter would have never seen service. And when it was the Minister’s time to respond, she asked us where the money would come from. From refugees? From sex-trafficking? From battered women? This is not my problem @timporter_ONT. It’s yours. And this is a job you CHOSE to do.
It’s not my job to feel guilty about taking funding from these other groups in desperate need. Why would you pit us against once another. It is your job, as CoS for the Minister of MCCSS to serve the community and to ensure their safety, service and support. And I can assure you
You’re not coming anywhere close to appropriately serving the Autism Community. We’re asking for dialogue. We’re asking that a tearful, impromptu, meeting on the heels of a devastating announcement isn’t thrown back in our faces. We’re asking to not be antagonized.
We’re asking that you recognize that you signed up for a job that will dictate the outcome of the rest of our lives. Autism is no joke, @timporter_ONT. This is your job. But it’s our lives. Why on earth would you question our desire to consult? To be heard?
If you were truly interested in the welfare of the Autism Community, you’d make good on your promise of RoundTables and hold one. The ASD parents of @MacLeodLisa’s #Nepean riding are waiting. And of course, as always, I am happy to discuss this policy with your office
Even if the Minister is too busy. We need Science brought back to the table. We need dialogue. We need assessment of need. We need you to recognize that SSAH funding is critical. That the OAP should be flexible, yes, but should be honouring the importance of therapy.
That age-caps are arbitrary and counter-productive. That behaviours can turn on a dime; regressions are real. That this program is an extreme waste of taxpayer dollars. That you are failing the most vulnerable. That kids most definitely cannot be forced into 3 categories so
You can slap a “needs based” label on it. Categories are not indicative of need. Individualized assessment and recommendation from a clinician is the only way to determine need. And the only way to execute a needs based program is to provide service based on those recommendations
Any time you’re ready to take this off Twitter, to check the cattiness at the door, to actually appear interested in consulting the community; I’m always, always happy to talk. I don’t want you, @timporter_ONT, @MacLeodLisa and @fordnation to fail. We want to see this program
Succeed. We have absolutely everything riding on it. Cheers. #AutismDoesntEndAtFORD #ScrapTheAgeCap #NeedsBasedTherapy #NeedsBasedFunding #EquityforAutism #stopcollaborateandlisten @MTaylorNDP @JoelHardenONDP @AndreaHorwath @snehduggal @CityCynthia @coteau @JohnFraserMPP
