Monthly Archives: April 2025

Alright – so, first my heart and prayers are with all the families who lost children to drowning. Sadly and heartbreakingly, there were two children with autism who drowned last year in Minnesota. No family should go through that.

This gained a lot of news attention and rightfully so. It also made lots of people get interested in this issue and advocate for it from different perspectives. Sen. Mohamed in Minnesota Senate introduced a bill SF 3040 to modify the current language in waiver services under CDCS and CFSS. She attempted to explain to allow families who already has wavier or CFSS services to use such funding for swimming lessons.

Now, that is a lot to understand and process unless you are a waiver policy junkie which I am. Sen. Mohamed was not able to clearly explain when Sen. Utke and Sen. Abeler asked – does this have a fiscal note. DHS person said – maybe, we do not know. DHS should know better.

Let me explain in the words of Denzel Washington in Philadelphia: 

1. No, this bill should NOT have any fiscal note.
2. Yes, the current policy technically should allow it because it is a waiver that is person-centered and consumer directed.
3. Yes, autism families including me and countless others have gotten swimming lessons for their children with autism via the waiver CDCS.
4. Recently, counties have started denying autism families the whole cost by not saying it is a recreational but that families should pay the extra cost that is beyond what it would cost for a typical child. Example: You have a typical kid who is getting swimming lessons in a group setting because he/she has no sensory, safety, motor imitation issues and can learn how to swim in a group of 2 or 3 other kids. That cost is $50 per lesson. In parallel, a child with autism has no safety skills, has sensory issues, and no imitation skills. He/she needs one on one swimming lesson that will cost $75 per lesson. The counties started saying the waiver will cover the additional cost that is above and beyond what a typical kid needs which in this case would be $25 per lesson. The counties say parents still must bear some responsibility taking their child to swimming lessons and we will cover the extra fee.
5. I agree with that because the waiver should not replace parental responsibility. If your child does NOT have autism, you should still take him/her to learn how to swim. That is parental responsibility. The county does not typically say swimming is a recreational.
6. Now, let’s say a typical child learns how to swim in 25 to 30 lessons which is the average but a child with autism will take years to learn then the county approves the cost above and beyond the cost for a typical child. I also agree with this.
7. Finally, any family whose swimming is denied by the county via CDCS or CFSS can appeal to a judge. I know families are not lawyers but after a while it gets easier to just appeal if the policy is in your favor which it is if asking above and beyond swimming lessons than a typical child.
8. Oh and the Hopkins kid’s name is Waeys not Aways. Plus, it would’ve been right to name this bill after him and Mohamed, and ask their families to testify. That is more powerful than anyone else – to hear from the parents who went through it.

In summary, while the bill has good intentions, the explanation was less than stellar and not cohesive by Sen. Mohamed, DHS nor the testifiers.

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

Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Retired Advocate

Alright – so, from day one, I knew he was turafatoore. That means never mean what he says and never says what he means. He constantly dances around the issue, asks more questions with every question. Asks you to go to that person and this person for things he is clearly in charge of, and blames everyone especially the GOPs for probably snowing in Minnesota. How lovely and original.

I met Sen. Hoffman over a decade ago when he voted against what is today known as EIDBI on the senate floor in 2013. He voted against everything about autism back then as most dflers did. Let me take you back in memory lane. Back in early 2010s, Rep. Norton (also known as the queen of autism disparity) and now the mayor of Rochester Minnesota kept introducing legislations that wanted to take funds from the health and human services budget to subsidize private insurance companies to pay for autism therapy while it denied low income autism families for the same therapy. Nope, not kidding.

In fact, it was the MN Republican legislators (Benson, Gottwalt, Abeler, etc.) who voted for Medicaid to cover autism therapy while the MN house dflers and many dfl senators including Hoffman voted against it. So if you are a Somali person and want to preach how welcoming and inclusive Hoffman is, please go back to legislative history. Don’t believe his empty calorie charm.

Now in the end in giving credit where credit is due, it was Gov. Dayton a dfler who added $12 million to his budget in 2013 to cover autism therapy for children with autism. The senate voted against it including Sen. Hoffman, Eaton, most of them. The House voted against it including Rep. Norton, Huntley, most of them. Then in conference committee, we (Somali autism parents and community members) went to Sen. Laurey and Sen. Cohen and convinced them to eliminate Norton’s bill and add Gov. Dayton’s language. That is exactly what passed on a rainy Thursday night on May 16th, 2013. Then we went to CMS and convinced them to do it for all states in July of 2014. 

I blogged and documented all of this back then. It seems that Sen. Hoffman wants to vote against autism and we should be happy and thank him. No way. We have the right to criticize his votes and policies. In fact, when non-Somali autism parents or any other group like Isaiah does not like his policies and criticize him and campaign against him, guess what? he is ok with it and even apologizes. But for us – not allowed. How do you like them apples.

Listen Sen. Hoffman, I do not have to like you and vice versa. But know you are a publicly elected official and is supposed to help all Minnesotans – period. I personally think you should be defeated next election by someone who cares about Minnesotans and means what he/she says by doing it.

I hope you stop learning two words in every language pretending to care which you do not. I also hope you stop giving people the run around. You can simply say – I cannot write, author or support xyz issue. That is fair and you have that audacity. But when you promise things you know will never be delivered and waste people’s time is a higher level of cruelty and hurtful. You also must accept to learn that anyone from anywhere in the state has the right to be happy or not happy with your policies. If you want to be liked by everyone, maybe you should work in a shoe store. I am sure everyone is happy there.

I wonder Sen. Hoffman when you wrote this Op-Ed, and those on the other side saw your view as offensive and sensational, did you also get angry at them and try to vilify them. My guess is no, because we all have the right to our truth and opinions.

One of my favorite show is Frasier, I must’ve watch it kazilian times. One of my favorite episodes is this one.

One of my favorite columns was Dear Abby Questions are good if it leads to answers and deeper understanding not to give people the run around and waste time. Have you ever listened to Joel Osteen – he talks common sense things and ties it to God. He always starts with a joke, this is my favorite. Every ethnicity has different strengths and things they are good at or known for. For Somalis it is “Fadhi ku dirir”. That is what makes us different and same in a humane manner.

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

Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Retired Advocate