Monthly Archives: November 2023

BACB Allows BCBAs to Milk Minnesota’s EIDBI and Violate Their Own Ethics Guidelines – what now?

idilabdull | November 21st, 2023
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Alright – so, if you know then you understand my ughhh with the BACB board. Although they have been sort of listening and getting a bit more diverse in their board, sadly not staff though. They even now have data that shows us the diversity of BCBAs nationwide. This is a board that was all white when I started sending them emails to remind them how yucky they were maybe over a decade ago. They are located in Colorado in marble flooring, mighty building and literally make up ethical rules. Who is to say your morals and ethics are better or worse than mine, right? Well – BACB thinks it has the right to tell us what is ethically and morally right and what it is not.

Let us not forget, we all have diverse ways we think based on our culture. In fact, all human behaviors are embedded in their cultures. In other words, one person has zero right to say to another culture my ethics or morals are better or superior than yours. We should all respect each other’s culture and values.

Now, where am I going with this. Well, the almighty BACB board that preaches to the rest of us to do the right thing is now allowing their BCBAs to charge an arm and a leg in Minnesota’s EIDBI benefit. The reimbursement rate for EIDBI is public since Medicaid funds it. The most per hour/encounter for the treatment plan is about $80.00. Yet, these blood sucking greedy bastards are charging mostly Somali EIDBI providers up to $1000 per hour. What the heck? Where is this money going to come from? Guess who is going to suffer – the children and families.

What is the state Medicaid agency doing about this? Nada. In fact, DHS’ policy lead and state legislator Rep. Hicks is helping agencies like Holland with what to write and how to milk mostly minority/Somali EIDBI providers. Un-bleeping believable. What is DHS leadership and commissioner doing about it? Nada. Imagine if Rep. Hicks was Black or even had a suntan. DHS would be releasing news, punishing, and screaming from their lungs. Now, silence is their game. And, they say there is not racism in DHS. Oh please. That is like saying the ocean is not salty.

Equally important, what is the BACB board that rides on a high horse doing about this highway robbery by their certified BCBAs? nada, zilch and zero. Lovely.

The above words do not reflect any candidate, agency, or committee.

Idil – Somali Autism Mom and Retired Advocate

 

Category: My two cents - ok 1 1/2 cents

Minnesota Department of Health – The Do Nothing About Autism State Agency

idilabdull | November 21st, 2023
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Alright – so, I am totally retired now. If you understand the system in how state agencies are supposed to work in Minnesota for Autism, then you know that Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is the agency that is supposed to provide information to autism families or anyone who has a child with special needs. They get federal funds from Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) to do this.

Years ago, I and others in the Somali community (Hassan and Anab) have advocated with HRSA to hold MDH accountable. MDH hired a Somali (Asli) to help autism families and provided small grants to support this effort. But just like anything else in this state of 10,000 racial disparities, if you are not constantly asking for fairness, the oppressor forgets and pretends the problems do not exist. I think Asli retired. The people I have advocated with at HRSA Diane and Denise have also retired. I have now retired and MDH is missing in action as usual.

Ugh, this is soooooo frustrating. When will Minnesota state agencies simply do what they are supposed and get funded to do for minority autism families without us having a meltdown and constantly advocating.

There are at least three Somali autism advocacy agencies, but it will take time for them to digest all of the ways to advocate. I am cofident they will get it and start going back to the do nothing about autsim agency MDH to do its job and give families the information they need.

The above words do not reflect any candidate, agency, or committee.

Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Retired Advocate

Category: Autism Policy

Can You Fight a Shark If You Are Inside His Mouth?

idilabdull | November 21st, 2023
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Alright – so, oh boy and oh boy let me count the ways the Minnesota Department of HUMAN Services discriminates and dismisses the autism community, particularly the black and brown families and EIDBI providers.

I asked a highly educated and articulate Somali person who also owns an EIDBI agency why he does not speak up about how DHS’ EIDBI team – Ms. Berning and Rep. Hicks constantly screw with our community. His response was a spon on which I never even thought about.

He said – how can you possibly fight a shark if you are inside his mouth. DHS is a shark, all of us are inside their mouth and if we fight, they will eat and swallow us. Wow.

EIDBI was advocated solely by us – Somali autism parents and Somali community. There was not one single white person from any community who wanted MA to pay for autism therapy. Creating a position within DHS and hiring someone for autism was also our idea that we asked Dr. Sulik, Glenace Edwall and Alex B. This is how DHS EIDBI came about. It started with Anne H, now there are several people for autism at DHS.

To have those white people discriminate against the very community that fought hard for this is something you cannot even make up. It highlights the deep mentality and behaviors of most white people in Minnesota, especially the liberal ones. Under the Walz administration, DHS seems to have impunity to do whatever it wants without any consequences or remorse.

Ms. Berning is racist subconsciously. She does not even know that she is. She does not try to be one. Have you heard of the fish that asked “what the hell is water”. That is Ms. Berning. She has alwasy been in warm, calm, wonderful water that protects and nourishes her that she has no idea there are plenty of people with no water.

Rep. Hicks on the other hand is in your face, I don’t give a flying hoot and purposeful racist. Here is why and how. She is more charming, charismatic, wicked smart, underhanded, manipulative and has black children. No one will ever think racism and her are even close until you pay close attention to how she helps Dr. Larrson and the all white exclusive club ATAmn. This group of white ABA therapy providers fought us feverishly for MA to not cover autism therapy. Yet, they milk EIDBI now with the help of Hicks. She manipulates and coarces the few Somali state legislators to not write about any autism bills. She even told one of them that autism was NOT high in the Somali community. Now what now? She will cry a river faster than Justin Timberlake. She will befrind you while burrying you. These two are now in charge of the benefit that I and others have stayed up late at night, woke up early in the morning, chased legislators into the Capitol bathrooms and cried over it. How do you like them apples?

So yes, I agree with the Somali person who told me DHS is a shark and they know people are inside their mouth. I also believe in ending discrimination one racist at a time. I beleive in never giving up. I believe in being a permanant hemmorroids for all racist and racism tactics. Imagine if the many black Americans people who fought the rights we have said, forget it, I cannot fight this bullshit. Our rights would be even less.

I think we should never give up. We should fight with our voices and votes. Voting out Hicks is one step. Rochester has lots of Somalis, some of whom have children with autism. I believe holding Rep. Noor accountable for all things DHS is another way. I believe holding Walz needs to be done. We cannot keep voting for the same people who hire the same type of agency leaders then expect better outcomes. We must do better and keep fighting for our children with autism and our community.

The above words do not reflect any candidate, agency, or committee.

Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Retired Advocate

Category: Disparity & Politics, Uncategorized

Open Letter to Rep. Kim Hicks of Rochester – Stop the Manipulation of our elected officials

idilabdull | November 8th, 2023
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Alright – so, if you are an autism parent or in the autism field, then you have heard that a white liberal, privileged and entitled woman has been elected in Rochester to the state legislature. She is also the policy lead for autism in the state human services agency. And she is in every human services committee in the house. Now, this is what they call really privileged. How does this even work. Is Melissa Hortman blind or just playing favoritism. Is DHS stupid or tricking people. This would be Saturday night live funny sketch if it were not sadly true.

How does even work. From Jan to May, Rep. Hicks creates laws, rules, and policies for DHS then from June to Dec works at DHS to implement those rules, laws, and policies.

She has gone further, she has been advising Rep. Noor, Rep. Hassan and Rep. Hussein about autism and DHS. Now what now? Will the real slim shady stand up. This is how Democracy works in Minnesota for white liberal women.

And her job is kept for her and secure for six months while she writes and creates laws for the same agency she works for. Um, excuse me but does autism take a break from Jan to May. This is what it means to be biased in your core. This is what it means when people mention institutional racism. This is how being white female and liberal works in Minnesota. Yep. Welcome to the land of 10,000 racial disparities.

We ask Rep. Hicks to stop giving wrong and biased advice to the few Somali elected officials we have in the state legislator. Yes, autism is disproportionately higher in our community. How dare you convince them otherwise. If DHS and Hortman were fair, they would not give you this dual role that you seem to be exploiting for your own benefit while screwing with other communities. We also ask that you stop giving advice to the all white autism group about EIDBI policies. This is wrong on every level. Have you no shame.

The above words do not reflect any committee, agency, or candidate.

Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Retired Advocate

Category: Disparity & Politics

Reflecting on Our Autism Advocacy Journey in Minnesota

idilabdull | November 8th, 2023
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Alright – so, I have technically and hopefully in reality retired from advocacy. I have had a chance to reflect how I and soooo many other Somali autism parents and Somali community did this and what we actually did.

First, to advocate is to change whatever the status quo is. This means people who are benefiting from the current situation are not going to be happy. Why should they? They are most likely enjoying and reaping the benefits of the current status.

Our response was – boo hoo and cry me a river. You do not have to like us, but we will advocate to change laws and policies; we will elect people who look like us and we will ensure your bias creating rules and policies are deleted and amended. If you do not like us – take a number.

Second, what happens next is they will undermine you, call you names like angry, ranting, yelling, unreasonable, difficult, so on and so forth.

Our response, the more they called us or even called me personally ranting, angry yada yada – I knew I touched a nerve. We let this useless side show be just that – useless side show. We kept going and stayed focused on our goals.

Third, then the oppressor or those benefiting from the current situation will say – ok then if you are not going to stop ranting and raving, we will tune you out. We just won’t listen to you. This is my favorite one. Yep!

Our response: If you work at a private company maybe like your own shoe store or an ice cream shop then go ahead and ignore me. I am fairly certain I will not be in your shop. But if you work in a public state agency or are an elected official, then consider us your permanent hemorrhoids.

Fourth one is they will get people who look like you to oppose you. This is called divide and conquer. This is classic move for the oppressor and is how this country benefited from free Black labor by creating house negro vs field negro. This is also how Africa is the poorest continent even though it is showered with abundance resources. They always find the village idiot cousin to go against you.

Our response: This is a hard one to fight because you do not want to picker with your own people, which is exactly what they want. What we did was say and do nothing, just show them what we were doing and why. I remember, one time Rep. Norton brought Somali autism parents to testify against us. Lovaas – the racist SOB also knows this tactic. We just stayed focused and eventually most of those folks saw what we were doing and realized they were being used. There will always be one or two that kisses ass. You just have to pray for those.

Fifth, they will undermine your work and what you are doing. They will never give credit where credit is due. They will even try to take the credit for your work.

Our response: We knew we were doing all of this for our children and community, which was satisfying. I for one do not need the oppressor to be grateful for rocking their comfortable boat.

Now, if you look at the history of this county and minorities, our issue is tiny in comparison. The oppressors here owned people as though they were furniture. Then they created laws to free people in parallel to laws that ensured minorities were never successful. For example, you are free but own nothing, have no education, cannot vote if you cannot read and cannot read because we make sure you never learn or get educated – so on and so forth. If you look at the history of anyone who fought for equality and equity, the oppressor always undermined them, called them names, etc. What and how we have been treated by so many state agency employees and leaders is sadly nothing new.

So, what did I and so many in our community do about these, see our responses above.

The above words do not reflect any committee, agency, or candidate.

Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Retired Advocate

Category: Autism Policy