Partisanship Threatens Autism Insurance in Oklahoma

Another political battle is brewing in the Oklahoma legislature, with Democrats continuing to push for increased insurance coverage, while Republicans fight back with proposals that would simply provide more training for specialists and therapists. Democratic Rep. Wallace Collins: "I’m heartened to hear that House Republicans are interested in increasing training for autism specialists, but what I want to know is, what are they going to do for families who need help now? Do they expect parents of children with autism in our state to sit back and wait for ‘market forces’ to help their children?" Read more.

In Utah, legislation was proposed yesterday to require insurance companies to cover up to $50,000 a year in autism therapy for children up to age 9, and $25,000 for treatment for children between 9 and 17. The chief sponsor is the Republican House speaker. Read more.

Inauguration: The People's Ball

Following up on my previous item about the People's Ball for 450 people who have disabilities or hardships, here's an article about how the day and night went.

Inauguration: My Favorite Moment

One moment made my trip to the Mall worth the effort, and it's at :45 in the video below. After President Obama took the oath of office, the response was overwhelming. It seemed to represent a collective sense of relief, hope, and optimism.


Let's hope good things are coming for our country, as we remember that what happens depends on what we -- not just our elected officials -- do.

Inauguration: City Seemed Unprepared for Elderly, Disabled, and Everyone Else

The Capitol at 6:00 a.m.


In a good spot at 8:00 a.m.


My trip to the Mall today was challenging but worth it -- and I felt sorry for all the people who had tickets but couldn't get in. Considering the city had two months to plan, the lack of organization was appalling. I suspect they knew it would be chaos, and that's why they discouraged children and people with disabilities from attending. It's a strange mixed message to declare you're going to have the most open inauguration ever, while at the same time encouraging some people to stay away.

People with strollers, crutches, or wheelchairs had it the worst. Metro stations were closed unexpectedly, the police at various locations gave contradictory information. In most cases, when I got stuck in a mob with no way out, there weren't any police officers or volunteers to tell us which way we could go. Fortunately, all the people I encountered were respectful -- if they had become angry, it would have been ugly. Worse, if there had been any level of disaster, there's no doubt people would have died.

On one hand, there's never been an event like this in Washington, or in many cities anywhere. Security for the president has to be the number one priority. On the other hand, there was time to prepare, and it almost seemed like they were surprised that 1) lots of people showed up and 2) many of them (like me) arrived early.

I was on Twitter much of the day. You can read my posts at http://twitter.com/mmiller20910. But a few highlights are these quotes:
- A Chicago police officer who was unable to give me directions: "They brought us in from all over, but unfortunately they didn't give us a tour of the city."
- A Supreme Court security officer, to a woman who complained she couldn't go the direction she wanted to: "Hey, you chose to be here today. If it was my choice, i wouldn't be here."

A New Beginning -- for All of Us

The UK Telegraph made this tag cloud illustrating the themes of President Obama's speech today. Article here, and full text of the speech here.

A Ball for All

After reporting on the challenges that people with disabilities will face to attend the "open" Inauguration activities, I wanted to share this news about a different kind of Inaugural event -- the People's Inaugural Ball. Businessman Earl W. Stafford rented space at the JW Marriott two blocks from the White House and invited people whose health or income would have prevented them from attending this historic Inauguration. Attendees include victims of natural disasters, foster children, people with disabilities, and people with terminal illnesses. The ball and other activites are completely funded by Stafford, with a price tag of $1.6 million.

Report: An Inaugural Ball for Children

Peter and Me


Banners Outside the Historical Society of DC




Charles MacCormack, head of Save the Children, wrote an op-ed in yesterday's Washington Times titled "Helping Children in Need," offering five practical steps President Obama should take to improve the lives of children worldwide. I hope MacCormack was aware of yesterday's Children's Inaugural Ball, organized by Every Child Matters. I was among 2,000 attendees at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., who included "regular" families and VIPs like George Stephanopoulos, who brought his wife and children, and Michael Phelps' VIP mother, Debbie.

In addition to all the food (hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy) and fun (music, magician, puppets), there was also a powerful message that many presidents have made significant improvements in children's health and education, and the inauguration of President Obama represents a chance to truly put children first. Specifically, the group is concerned about the nearly 9 million children without health insurance, the 3 million children reported abused and neglected each year, nearly 2 million children with a parent in prison, 13 million children in poverty, and as many as 14 million without adequate supervision after school while parents work. Every Child Matters created a nine-page booklet you should take a look at -- called "Presidents Helping Children" (pdf).

A highlight for me was meeting Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary -- who performed "Puff the Magic Dragon" and a song the group played at the 1963 March on Washington, "If I Had a Hammer." (Both songs are below.)

Attending the Inauguration: More Challenging for Some

President-elect Obama's team got high marks from disability groups for their policies and for making their campaign and transition materials accessible with technology, captioning, and other accommodations. But many are concerned about the challenges disabled people will face when trying to attend the largest Inauguration of all time. From the Los Angeles Times, read "People with Disabilities Expect Big Challenges at Inauguration, Despite Accommodations."

Being in Washington and hearing every day about the anticipated crowds, bridge closings, and other challenges, I'm not inclined to complain about the lack of accommodation. One recent article said to treat this the same way you would for a major blizzard. Go out if you must, but the crowds and weather will make it particularly challenging -- and possibly dangerous -- for children, older people, and people with disabilities.

They expect Sunday's big concert at the Lincoln Memorial (with Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Stevie Wonder, and others) to draw at least 500,000 people -- similar to a Fourth of July gathering, something I've chosen to avoid for several years. Tuesday's Inauguration is expected to attract at least four times that number. Just like I would be reluctant to take my 5-year-old daughter to a mobbed, sweltering July 4th celebration on the Mall, there's no way I'd subject her to the crowds and freezing temperatures on Tuesday.

On Sunday, though, we're going to the Children's Inaugural Ball, sponsored by Every Child Matters. Public transportation will be busy, but (we hope) manageable.

What are your plans?

Inauguration Here I Come

The Presidential Inaugural Committee just informed me that I've been approved for a media credential for the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20! I will be reporting live from the Mall that morning on Twitter. If you're not on Twitter, it's a great place to keep up with special needs issues (and anything else you can think of), and this is a great time to try it out. If you already have a Twitter account, follow me at "mmiller20910" and sign in that day.

If you're not on Twitter, sign up for a free account at http://www.twitter.com and follow me.

To get updates on children's health issues -- including parenting tips and patient success stories -- follow my professional account at "childrenshealth"