| SEARCH OnWEAC |
|---|
Opinions expressed in articles posted to the "From our readers" section do not necessarily reflect those of WEAC. If you would like to contribute to this page, please send your e-mail to OnWEAC Editor Bill Hurley at hurleyb@weac.org. Not all articles submitted to OnWEAC will be posted, and some may be edited for length.
By Wendy Williams
Special education teacher, Milwaukee
Embedded is a photo of an incredible woman I met at the 2003 NEA Representative Assembly. She sought me out because of New Business Item #4 on autism. Her name is Janice Cook, and she has an emotionally moving story.
Janice
and her husband are parents of twins with autism. Janice is an NEA member
and teacher in Alabama. Her first two kids were in the gifted and talented
programs in the public schools. Then she had twins, Jordan and Jeremy
(also in the picture). The boys were developing normally until they
went in for their booster shots at the age of 3½. Both boys spiked
fevers and one went into seizures for a week. Janice has video of their
rapid degeneration. From that day forward, they were never the same
and were eventually diagnosed with autism.
Janice's husband had to quit his job to stay home and care for the boys. These two people kept their marriage together despite the fact that the divorce rate for families with one autistic child is 85%. This disease tears families apart, but not this one. In fact one family counselor told Janice to institutionalize the twins because their needs were too severe to meet at home by family members. Janice said never.
Janice Cook is an inspiration to all parents, not just those with special needs kids. She has taken on principals, school boards and legislators. Janice has been fighting for her twins for 15 years, before there was an IDEA law. Her boys will never talk a complete sentence. They will never hold a job or read. For them the American dream was stolen from them because of the mercury in vaccines.
It would be easy for these parents to go through life bitter and angry. Instead, Janice is positive when she talks about her boys. She says things like, "Jeremy is good with his hands. He fixes things around the house." "Jordan loves music. He can listen to a song on the radio once, then sit down at the piano and sound it out." This family makes too much money to qualify for state aid. This I find difficult to believe. Remember the whole family is living off of an Alabama school teacher's salary. Unbelievable.
There were many teachers who have an autistic child at home and reached out to me this RA. The Wisconsin delegation touched people's hearts and souls that emotional day on the floor of the RA. It was an experience I will remember forever. The passing of New Business Item #4 will have far-reaching effects on families, public schools and children in the United States. In fact, the events resulting from our actions may never be known to us. However, we can rest easy knowing that through our efforts we changed this piece of the world for the better.
Wendy Williams was the author of New Business Item #4 at the 2003 NEA Representative Assembly in New Orleans. The item reads:
New Business Item 4
NEA, through the NEA Health Information Network (HIN), shall continue to examine the existing research on the possible, neurotoxin effects of thimerosal (mercury), found in routine childhood vaccines and its possible connection to autism spectrum disorders. Following the review, if HIN finds that a connection may exist or that future study is needed, NEA shall lobby for federal legislation or Federal Food and Drug Administration action to completely remove thimerosal from routine childhood vaccines or to conduct the needed research. To better inform the members of this growing concern about the potential rise of incidence of autism and its causes, NEA Today will publish an article explaining the relevant sides of the controversy within the next year.
Editor's note: The link between autism and mercury or thimerosal in vaccines is controversial. These two sites, with different perspectives, provide background on the issue:
Posted December 4, 2003