Autistic People In Illinois Need Your E-Mail

Recently, Illinois Governor  Bruce Rauner decided that autistic people aren't worth caring about. In order to provide tax loopholes and breaks for Fortune 500 companies, as well as the wealthy, he gutted the State's budget. All social safety net programs have lost funding under this man. I am not just talking reductions, I am talking total elimination of funding for all social safety net programs.

I work for one of the many agencies affected by these cuts. Due to regulations that my agency has regarding employees and social media, I won't say which one. In fact, the name of my organization doesn't matter. What matters are all of the people that will be hurt should any of the organizations be forced to close their doors, due to these cuts.

I am what's known as a "Job Coach." It is my responsibility to help autistic adults learn to function in the work force. For some of the people that I , and others, coach, it isn't hard work. Odds are, if you met one of the people on the street, you wouldn't guess that they had a learning disability. However, there are many more that do need help. Help learning things that may sound easy to learn to you, such as mopping, bagging at a grocery store, or stocking inventory.

These are people that want to contribute to society. They pay taxes out of their paychecks, just like everyone else. They work hard at what they do. Some harder than those without autism, because there are bosses that work them harder. Not everyone is comfortable hiring these people, and occasionally do it because "Corporate" makes them hire a diverse staff.

The people that I, and others, coach need people that can help them get a foothold into the working world. They do not expect to be treated any differently than you or me. They only want to be treated with the same respect and dignity that we take for granted. They want to be a part of society.

But people like Gov Rauner don't care about that. They don't care that there are people trying their hardest to fit in, to work hard, to pay their taxes, just like everybody else. He doesn't care that it is harder for these people to get a job, much less learn a job, and be a functioning part of our society.

I know that there are people that read this blog from around the world. I check the traffic stats from time to time. I have seen that some posts have been read by someone in Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, and other countries. You are the people that I am asking to contact the Governor. There have been many write in campaigns, as well as online petitions. They have all been ignored.

I am asking anyone that reads this, especially those that live in other countries, to contact Rauner. Let him know that the days of cloaked, local politics are over. Thanks to the inter-net, there is no such thing as local anymore. Remind him that people outside of Illinois buy the products made here. We have wineries, manufacturing, and farms, just to name the basic industries.

Please, let Rauner know that those of you that might buy our products care about what happens to those in society that need help. People that are trying to contribute, but are being denied the chance at basic human dignity. People that just need a little extra assistance. They are not people asking for hand outs. If they were, they wouldn't be trying to find jobs that they could preform for a living.


Below is the contact page from the State of Illinois. Even more important, there's a link to his Facebook page. Let him know that it isn't just the voters of Illinois that is watching him. The world is.

Thank You

The State of Illinois contact page:
https://www2.illinois.gov/gov/pages/contactthegovernor.aspx

Bruce Rauner's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/BruceRauner