The Politics of Autism discusses the problem of wandering, which has been the topic of legislation before Congress.
Earlier this year, the Senate voted to reauthorize Kevin and Avonte's Law and has now attached it to the National Defense Authorization Act, which is likely to pass next week.
Senators Amy Klobuchar, DFL of Minnesota, and Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, highlighted the re-authorization of their legislation to help families locate missing loved ones with autism and Alzheimer’s Thursday.
Kevin and Avonte’s Law was named in honor of two young boys with autism that wandered from their homes and drowned in nearby bodies of water in Iowa. The legislation brings back the Missing American Alert Program, which helps families locate missing loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia, autism and other developmental disabilities.
Klobuchar and Grassley were joined by ‘Autism Speaks’ president and CEO, Keith Wargo, as well as many national and state autism organizations and the Alzheimer’s Association of Minnesota-North Dakota.
“It’s a savior for families that have taken care of their loved ones and do everything they can to keep them safe. Having programs in place where they can alert and locate them because of a device or the like is going to make all the difference,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Devices used to help locate these people come in forms of bracelets, necklaces, clips and more.
