Autism Awareness Month in Texas: Finding Our Missing Million

​April is Autism Awareness Month, a time when we as Texans should reflect on both how far we've come and how far we still need to go in supporting our neurodivergent community members. Here in the Lone Star State, we face unique challenges that deserve our attention and action.
The Missing Million: A Texas-Sized Challenge
In Texas, it's estimated that we have approximately 1.3 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum. Yet when we look around our communities, our workplaces, our schools, and our public spaces, we must ask: where are they?
This question isn't just rhetorical. The relative invisibility of such a large population points to persistent issues of segregation, lack of inclusion, and inadequate support systems that prevent full community participation. Many individuals remain isolated in homes, segregated settings, or, in worst-case scenarios, homeless or institutionalized.
Underfunded and Overwhelmed: The Current State of Affairs
Texas consistently ranks near the bottom nationally for disability funding. Our waiting lists for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) stretch into years, sometimes decades. Families face impossible choices between financial stability and providing care for their loved ones.
Meanwhile, service providers struggle with:

• Critical staffing shortages due to low wages for direct support professionals
• Insufficient training resources for specialized support
• Limited accessibility in both physical spaces and programs
• Overwhelming paperwork and regulatory requirements that take time away from actual care

Moving from Awareness to Acceptance and Action
Awareness is just the beginning. As we navigate Autism Awareness Month, we need to shift our focus toward meaningful inclusion and support. This means:

1. Advocacy for increased funding: Texas needs to prioritize disability services in its budget to reduce waiting lists and improve service quality.
2. Employer education and incentives: Businesses need support to understand the benefits of hiring neurodivergent employees and creating accommodating workplaces.
3. Community integration: From sensory-friendly events to inclusive recreational opportunities, our communities need to become more welcoming and accessible.
4. Educational support: Schools need proper resources to support students with autism through evidence-based practices and appropriate staffing levels.

The Untapped Potential
What many don't realize is that this "missing million" represents an enormous untapped resource for our state. People with autism and other intellectual disabilities bring unique perspectives, skills, and abilities that our workplaces and communities desperately need.
From the detailed focus that makes for excellent quality control to the creative problem-solving that comes from different ways of thinking, neurodivergent Texans have so much to offer when given the chance.
A Call to Action
This Autism Awareness Month, I'm asking fellow Texans to take real steps toward inclusion:

• Contact your state representatives about disability funding
• Consider how your workplace or business could become more inclusive
• Support organizations working directly with the autism community
• Educate yourself about autism from actual autistic voices
• Look around and ask: Where are the neurodivergent people in my community?

Texas prides itself on being big and bold. Let's extend that same spirit to how we support our fellow Texans with autism and intellectual disabilities. It's time to find our missing million and welcome them into the mainstream of Texas life.