THE SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY NEEDS MORE INVESTMENT, LESS CHARITY

Recently I spoke at a Town Hall hosted by Autism Speaks. Throughout the conversation we kept coming back to one key topic: funding for services.

Whether it was myself and the three other panelists or parents, the question was asked, and the painful answer was delivered: the status quo for special needs services is no longer delivering. That was the answer I gave, as well as people who are from publicly funded institutions.

We gave that answer because it was true. Parents asked the question because they also know its true and they also need help. They know it better than anyone because they are living with the fall out of what that mean for their daily lives.

One thing I and another panelist stressed to them was that it is time to usher in a paradigm shift in how the special needs community is provided services. Relying on the public dollar is no longer viable and it will take both entrepreneurs AND consumers to lead the way.

What comes next is my solution.

WHAT DO I MEAN BY “INVESTMENT”?

Steve Jobs believed people needed personal computers in their homes. He identified a target market, and the rest is history.