By: Reid Singer
Hi all! A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the national day of advocacy in DC with the National Center for Learning Disabilities and Eye to Eye, both leading organizations for advocacy for neurodivergent individuals. At this event, I met with the offices of New Hampshire senators Jeane Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and my local representative, Chris Pappas. I discussed the RISE ACT with these respective offices in hopes that I could turn the wheels and get the Rise Act passed. If you are wondering what the RISE ACT is, well, in short terms, it is an act that requires all colleges to accept any 504 or IEP plans from high school without having for that student to get another neuro-evaluation as it can be a very stressful and burdensome process on many low-income neurodivergent students. In other words, the RISE Act will streamline high school students’ accommodations in college, consequently allowing a student to receive all the proper accommodations without any qualms. This will specifically help empower individuals with autism as, more often than not, we need additional accommodations such as extra time on tests or noise-reduced environments to strive on tests or other related assessments. While it is in the beginning stages, I am writing a policy paper at Harvard University this summer to advocate for the RISE ACT through scientific means. After its completion, I will send it to the respective congressional offices I met with!