Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara is calling on Governor Cuomo to sign a bill he co-sponsored and helped passed earlier this year to expand the mission of the Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Board without delay (A.1953).

“Individuals diagnosed with autism face a number of unique challenges that can impact their housing situations, employment opportunities and many other aspects of their lives,” said Santabarbara. “As one of the most common developmental disabilities, autism affects the lives of thousands of New York families, which is why I’m calling on the governor to sign this legislation into law without delay. Centralized resource centers, like the Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Board, can have an enormous impact on people with disabilities and their loved ones. We owe it to people with disabilities to keep expanding on our mission and provide the resources they need to live a happier, healthier and more independent life.”

In 2016, Santabarbara spearheaded the creation of the Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Board, composed of individuals with autism, professionals in the field and relevant state agencies, which works to provide people with autism and their families with support and access to resources (Ch.469 of 2016). This new bill, which passed both the Assembly and Senate earlier this month, would create an autism detection, education and mapping program within the Board to promote early detection of autism, as well as educate the public, provide counseling and referral services and map locations of occurrences of autism. These measures would aid in determining the possible causes of autism in children as well as provide families, educators and health care providers with information to better support individuals diagnosed with autism.