the ten commandments’ story involves god recruiting a physically disabled person, moses, who had a speech deficit, to be his spokesman. exodus 4:10-11. from the bible passages, god’s plan was that the disabled are to play an important role in the world. a role just like everyone else.
mr. xavier degroat is such a leader. mr. degroat has autism. mr. degroat has taken on the role of being an advocate for those with autism.
per the cdc, “an estimated 5,437,988 (2.21%) adults in the united states” have autism spectrum disorder as of a 2017 study. “autism spectrum disorder (asd) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. there is often nothing about how people with asd look that sets them apart from other people, but people with asd may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. the learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with asd can range from gifted to severely challenged. some people with asd need a lot of help in their daily lives; others need less.” autismspeaks.org
mr. degroat has formed his own autism foundation. he has worked on passing laws, and he has a track record of rubbing elbows with famous people.
during the trump presidency, he had a 30 minute meeting with president trump with respect to law changes that would assist interaction of autistic individuals with law enforcement. after the meeting, he landed himself a white house internship. he is the first documented intern with autism.
his advocacy has created new laws concerning autism. these laws are unique. they address concerns that only someone with a deep understanding the autism community would even think to enact.
these laws include state driver’s licenses and license plates to indicate to law enforcement that an individual has autism or a communication impediment. foxnews. “the new designation — embedded within data stored on the id card — should alert police that when they pull over someone with autism the sensory overload of the lights and sirens may have tipped off a meltdown situation that could be misunderstood by an approaching officer. people with autism can also have trouble communicating and can be very sensitive to physical touch, which may cause them to react in a way an officer could perceive as threatening.” foxnews.
he is working legislation with respect to the transportation security administration of the federal government on related issues.
representative kildee, for whom he has worked as an intern, describes mr. degroat as a “remarkable force of nature.” foxnews. “his internship [with the congressman] was not just good for him,” kildee said. “but it was good for us. it was good for my team.” foxnews.
in sum, mr. xavier degroat is a perfect example how the disabled can have an impact on society. just like everyone else, they have goals and dreams they wish to pursue. just like everyone else, they have challenges in life. for them, some of the challenges are unique. further, they have the ability to open the eyes of everyone else . they have the ability to teach us the need for all of us to be open-minded, considerate and respectful to others.
we are all different. we are all unique. we are all the same.
be well!!
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