Anyone works with people with disabilities should be qualified for such positions. This includes job coaches, special education teachers, and caregivers. This qualification can be a credential allowing such people to work in the special-needs community. I am on the autism spectrum, and throughout my life I have dealt with teachers and job coaches who did not understand me. There are day programs that purport to serve people with disabilities, but these often reinforce stereotypes about them, such as not being as capable as those without disabilities, and thus these people rarely succeed in life. I believe that legislation to require those who work with special-needs people to be qualified would allow people with disabilities to lead successful lives, much like their nondisabled peers.



