Give Autism a Voice: Save Our Center for Autism, The State has Pulled Our Funding Without Cause

On October 3, 2014, Threshold Center for Autism received a hand delivered letter from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities stating it was “exercising its option to terminate the [Florida Medicaid Waiver] agreement without cause” and that Threshold has ninety days to relocate all of our residential clients.

We are a non-profit organization that cares for individuals living with autism, and other developmental disabilities with severe behavior problems. Our clients are some of the most difficult to place and when they come to us, many do so in crisis.

In 1976, Teena Willard’s son was diagnosed with autism; she was told by doctors that she should put him away and forget about him, that he would forever, be a burden to society. Thus, Threshold Center for Autism was born.

Teena Willard’s vision and our mission, “We will take the children that no one else wants.” and we have continued to do so over our 38 year history. We have grown alongside our clients, many of whom still call Threshold’s residential care facilities their home and have since our inception.

Threshold now consists of five group homes that house thirty eight clients; we have an Adult Day Training facility where our clients learn everyday skills; we have a K-12 school which contracts with Orange and Seminole County School Districts, serving their special needs students; we have a medical clinic on premises that provides services, not only to our residents, but to those with special needs throughout the community and from other group homes as well. Prior to this clinic, patients were required to travel as far as Lake, Brevard, and Hillsboro Counties.

In less than 90 days our Medicaid Waiver Agreement will be terminated without cause, our clients will be displaced and they will not understand why. Without this funding we may be forced to shut down our medical clinic as well as our Adult Day Training Program; our K-12 School will also be forced to close and our clients will be evicted from their homes and have nowhere to go, all of their progress erased.

We tell our clients to knock, and the door shall be opened to them. We ask that you join us in our fight to save Threshold. Please give our clients the voice they so desperately deserve; do not let the door they have worked so hard to open close on them.