Father of young man with autism has gotten 8 state laws passed as a disability advocate
A suburban Chicago father has dedicated countless hours to making Illinois better for his son and others with developmental disabilities.
In fact, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker even singled out Mike Baker of Schaumburg for his efforts.
Watching old videos of shows like "Bear in the Big Blue House" at warp speed is just one of the ways Baker shows his son, Bryan, love.
"We're buddy-buddies," Baker said. "I'm a stay-at-home dad, so I've raised him since day one."
Bryan, who has autism, is now 26 years old. He stands 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 250 pounds.
With those stats and an autism diagnosis, medical visits often require anesthesia. This has resulted in some outrageous bills.
"The dentist said he needed fillings, and he would have to be put under," said Baker. "Well, we found out the cost to put him under, and it was $6,000 to $8,000."
But Baker did more than fight the dentist bill. He created a bill for Illinois lawmakers.
Illinois House Bill 235 requires insurers to cover dental anesthesia for people with developmental disabilities up to age 19.
"I went down to Springfield, testified through all the committees, contacted every single representative and senator," said Mike Baker.
Baker's work in the Illinois State Capitol paid off. His idea became law in 2015.
"Kind of like excitement for me," he said. "Made me want to, hey, let me try that again."
Baker caught a bug. He thought of more legislation to protect people with autism, and then contacted multiple lawmakers for help.
Illinois state Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg) took up Baker's call for more opportunities for caregivers called direct support professionals.
"I believe he found a model bill in Ohio and helped connect us to those individuals," Mussman said.
A shortage of direct professionals limited the activities in which Bryan could partake in his day program.
Baker's testimony before Illinois lawmakers has now led to eight state laws and counting — all related to autism.
"He really is a heartfelt advocate," said Mussman. "I think he is really able to use his lived experience and his passion and his love for his son to really make these needs dire."
Baker remains as dedicated as ever.
"Sometimes I'm typing emails at 1, 2 o'clock in the morning," said Baker. "I push real hard. Sometimes people don't like it, but as a parent, I feel I need to."
But making the push is getting harder for the determined father. He himself suffers from Parkinson's disease, which has led to shaking hands and occasional struggles with speech.
"I'll be advocating until I can't," Baker said.
He is keeping a promise to legislators, and of course, his son.
"I need to leave this earth knowing that he's taken care of, and I need to know that I tried my best," said Baker.
As noted earlier, Baker was part of a recent executive order from Gov. JB Pritzker's office. He was quoted in a news release from earlier this month that announced Illinois' commitment to protecting autism-related information from being shared with the federal government without consent.
