New Jersey – New Legislation for Adults with Autism

Today in New Jersey, the Senate committee approved two bills which will affect adults with Autism. The first is an anti-discrimination bill aimed at ensuring adults with autism and other related disabilities are provided equal access to housing, employment and public accommodations. The second is a bill which will allow people over age 18 to join a database designed to track autism cases and identify possible geographic or other trends (the database is currently only open to minors). The two bills are scheduled for a vote on Monday.

I’m interested to hear what everyone thinks about these bills. There are two points of concern for me in these bills: (1) What will this bill add to the existing Americans with Disabilities Act which “requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide qualified individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from the full range of employment-related opportunities available to others.”, and (2) Will there be any benefit to the individuals who join the database?

ABC News Story