In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in presidential campaigns. In this campaign, a number of posts have discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. He also has a bad record on disability issues more generally.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he’ll be working on a plan to provide more opportunities for autistic adults to work.As of November 5,he has no such plan.
Jane, a self-described autistic woman, asked Trump for a plan to help “autistic adults like myself get employed.”
“We’re going to work on it,” he replied on Saturday in Clear Lake, Iowa. “You’ll be happy. Just watch.”
At the same site on November 2, Jennifer Bohlman reported:
As part of the #PwDsVote Disability Questionnaire, the nonpartisan, nonprofit disability organization RespectAbility asked candidates running for president, senate or governor about their plans for promoting employment among people with disabilities. Every candidate was given an equal opportunity to respond and if they are not listed, it is because they declined to answer.Clinton responded in detail. But as for Trump....
NOTE: Donald Trump declined to respond to the survey.On Trump's website, the issues page has nothing about autism. At PBS, Judy Woodruff reports: "Trump doesn’t address disability issues in detail on his Web site. He discusses the issue mostly through the lens of military veterans and PTSD." ( And he has suggested that vets with PTSD are not "strong.")
