This one stings a little bit.

This year’s theme at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day is “Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination.”

The Secretary-General encourages us to “all play a part in changing attitudes toward persons with autism and in recognizing their rights as citizens, who, like everyone else, are entitled to claim those rights and make decisions for their lives in accordance with their own will and preferences.”

It is a call to “ensure that all people can contribute as active members to peaceful and prosperous societies” and for everyone to “make available the necessary accommodations and support to persons with autism. With access to the support they need and choose, they will be empowered to face the key milestones in every person’s life, such as deciding where and with whom to live, whether to get married and establish a family, what type of work to pursue, and how to manage their personal finances.”

And here we are, preparing to demonstrate before our local superior court that our son is in need of our full legal guardianship, that he does not have the ability to make those key decisions about his life, and that we need to be granted the authority to make those decisions on his behalf. Read More