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Mother and Son, 10, Face Deportation Over Autism Diagnosis
https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/mother-and-son-10-face-deportation-over-autism-115309892492.htmlIn what a disabilities advocate has dubbed a “cold, heartless decision,” Australia’s federal government has decided move forward with a plan to have a woman and her 10-year-old son deported to their native Philippines — all because of fears the boy, who has autism, could wind up a tax burden if he becomes a citizen later in life.
"I hope I’m not considered as a burden. I’m trying my best to work for Tyrone’s future," Maria Sevilla, a nurse in Queensland, in the city of Townsville, told ABC.net regarding her son. The two have been in Australia for eight years, and their story was widely covered in late 2014 when the government rejected Sevilla’s request for a skilled working visa. Sevilla appealed the decision, and it was rejected again this week. Now the mother and son could be deported in 28 days. “It’s like, I’m pleading for our life, for Tyrone’s future,” she said.
Queensland Disabilities Minister Coralee O’Rourke called on the country’s immigration minister, Peter Dutton, to reverse the decision, which she told ABC.net was “cold, heartless.”
Sevilla created a Change.org petition for her cause in October, and it’s still active, with nearly 64,000 supporters so far. “In 2007, I brought Tyrone to Australia with me. He was 2 and a half. 6 months after we arrived he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” she writes, noting that she’s a registered nurse who simply wants to stay in the country and keep working, which she cannot do without her visa. “Tyrone is not a burden, he is a joy. He’s non-verbal, but he still hears and still experiences the world. He is a happy child with full of life attitude and can lighten the mood of a room with his presence. He doesn’t take any medication, and he attends a special school. The idea that he can’t contribute because of his condition is just wrong. People with autism can be excellent at a whole range of things, he just need to be given a chance!”
"I hope I’m not considered as a burden. I’m trying my best to work for Tyrone’s future," Maria Sevilla, a nurse in Queensland, in the city of Townsville, told ABC.net regarding her son. The two have been in Australia for eight years, and their story was widely covered in late 2014 when the government rejected Sevilla’s request for a skilled working visa. Sevilla appealed the decision, and it was rejected again this week. Now the mother and son could be deported in 28 days. “It’s like, I’m pleading for our life, for Tyrone’s future,” she said.
Queensland Disabilities Minister Coralee O’Rourke called on the country’s immigration minister, Peter Dutton, to reverse the decision, which she told ABC.net was “cold, heartless.”
Sevilla created a Change.org petition for her cause in October, and it’s still active, with nearly 64,000 supporters so far. “In 2007, I brought Tyrone to Australia with me. He was 2 and a half. 6 months after we arrived he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” she writes, noting that she’s a registered nurse who simply wants to stay in the country and keep working, which she cannot do without her visa. “Tyrone is not a burden, he is a joy. He’s non-verbal, but he still hears and still experiences the world. He is a happy child with full of life attitude and can lighten the mood of a room with his presence. He doesn’t take any medication, and he attends a special school. The idea that he can’t contribute because of his condition is just wrong. People with autism can be excellent at a whole range of things, he just need to be given a chance!”
Um, excuse me. I just finished my taxes, enclosing checks to both the IRS and California's Franchise Tax Board. How, exactly, does that make me a "burden"?! 
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No one should be - because they are different or their body/mind doesn't color inside the lines. 
I thought they were civilised Down Under. 
