Andrew Yang, in Iowa City, talks family, care for people on autism spectrum

Hillary Ojeda | Iowa City Press-Citizen

Show Caption Hide Caption Full speech: Andrew Yang and Evelyn Yang speak about autism Watch the full forum where Andrew and Evelyn Yang speak about autism, Dec. 14, 2019, in University Heights, Iowa.

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and his wife Evelyn Yang stopped at a University Heights cafe Saturday to talk about something that intimately impacts their family.

"We are the first family to be running for president publicly embracing the fact we are a special needs family," said Evelyn Yang, sitting in Sidekick Coffee, "like so many millions of families across this country."

Andrew and Evelyn Yang's oldest of two sons is on the autism spectrum.

Autism spectrum disorder is composed of a range of conditions that impact a person's ability to communicate and interact with others to varying degrees. Behaviors include difficulty making eye contact or having focused interests.

"I remember when Christopher was born and we were first-time parents, and it was a struggle," said Andrew Yang. "And when he got his diagnosis when he was about to turn four, it actually came as a massive relief."

The New York entrepreneur's discussion on autism was one of the last events on his five-day bus tour across Iowa and came as he released a plan to address care for people with disabilities.

His campaign reached out to the Iowa City Autism Community which helped put together a panel discussion on the challenges people on the autism spectrum face. Co-founders Dina Bishara and Jessie Witherell, both parents of autistic children, talked with the Yangs about their experiences and opened up the discussion for questions.

The cafe, located at 1310 1/2 Melrose Ave, was packed with families, people on the autism spectrum, enthusiastic Yang Gang supporters and others just curious to listen to a presidential candidate up close.

Adam Wright, who is on the autism spectrum, said he came to ask Andrew Yang about his plan to help adults on the moderate end of the spectrum. He said he feels the conversation is often centered around parents and how to help their children.

"What are your plans to help those of us with moderate autism, to seek employment, seek living skills and seeks those ideals that give us a path to independence," he asked the candidate.

Andrew Yang responded by saying if you want organizations to hire people with autism, it needs to be made easier for them to hire people on the spectru. He proposed subsidizing the first six months of someone's employment.

"You could say, 'Hey, guess what? If you hire someone who's documented to be on the spectrum then we'll pay half their salary for six months, or we'll pay all their salary for six months,'" he said. "And I have a feeling that then many employers would figure out that that person has a lot to contribute."

Young adults with autism face greater difficulty gaining employment compared to their peers with other types of disabilities, such as speech impairment or emotional disturbance, according to the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute.

The institute found that over 90% of young adults with other disabilities worked in their early 20s compared to 58% of youth on the autism spectrum.

Full speech: Andrew Yang hosts rally in Iowa City Watch the full rally, with speeches from Evelyn and Andrew Yang, plus question and answer, Dec. 14, 2019, at South East Junior High, in Iowa City.

After the discussion, Witherell said it's important to have these discussions as autism isn't talked about on the national level.

"So many families are impacted but we never talk about it," she said. "No matter who the candidate is we need to talk about it."

She and fellow co-founder Dina Bishara said the organization agreed to organize the discussion but wouldn't give an endorsement.

"It's really exciting to have someone with a national platform who understands what it's like to be a special needs family," said Bishara. "And, to have someone who puts people first."

Throughout the panel, Andrew Yang's comments on transforming society to adapt to the abilities of people on the spectrum often intertwined with his human-centered capitalism policy.

"We need to rewrite the rules of the economy to work for human beings," he said. "And the special needs families are at the forefront of this."

Reach Hillary Ojeda at 319-339-7345, hojeda@press-citizen.com or follow her on Twitter at @hillarymojeda.