Many of us have noticed the increase in students diagnosed with disabilities such as autism. These numbers include students, like my son, whose disabilities significantly impact their ability to live independently.
This nearly crushing increase in numbers of individuals for whom lifetime care is required is putting pressure on our communities, states and systems.
Jill Escher, mother to two children with profound disabilities, is taking on this challenge in her role as president of NCSA, The National Council on Severe Autism.
We discuss the challenges ahead and the commitments society must make to help some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society.
Bio
Jill is President of the National Council on Severe Autism, an autism research p
hilanthropist (Escher Fund for Autism), real estate investor who provides low-income housing for adults with developmental disabilities, former lawyer, and mother of two children with nonverbal autism. She is also immediate past president of Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area.