Sen. Menendez Visits Maplewood Bookstore, Pushes For Autism Funds

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Words Bookstore has been offering people with developmental disabilities and their families a home away from home in Maplewood for almost a decade. And the beloved Essex County business is a perfect example of why the public needs to safeguard a federal law which provides funding for autism-related research and treatment, according to U.S. Senator Robert Menendez.

On Monday, Menendez visited the local, family-owned store and held a roundtable discussion with parents who have children on the autism spectrum. During the discussion, the parents spoke about their concerns, challenges and the “importance of having access to affordable healthcare and treatment options,” the senator said.

The timing of the talk was imperative, Menendez said.

According to Menendez, “vital federal resources to help the autism community will be cut off next year” if Congress fails to reauthorize the Autism CARES Act, a bipartisan bill passed in 2014. The legislation includes key provisions of the senator’s Assistance in Gaining Experience, Independence and Navigation (AGE-IN) Act to address the needs of youth and young adults as they transition out of school-based support to independent adulthood.

The effort to give a hand-up to special needs students seeking to transition to adult life is especially relevant at Words Bookstore, where owners Jonah and Ellen Zimiles have their own personal interest in safeguarding Autism CARES.

Menendez said:

“[Jonah and Ellen Zimiles], whose son Daniel is autistic, opened Words Bookstore in 2009 to provide vocational training for individuals with autism, and have since hired more than 100 individuals with developmental disabilities. Jonah Zimiles, who gave up a successful law practice to stay home and care for Daniel for six years, went back to school at age 50 to get his MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, and opened Words shortly after graduation. Autism Speaks has named Words as one of 15 model Small Business employers of individuals with autism.”

• See related article: Maplewood Bookstore Honored For Creating Autism-Friendly Space
• See related article: Words Plans New Bookstore At Special Needs Center In Essex County

“We are pretty lucky because we do this — and we have plenty of problems ourselves and a lot of challenges and difficulties — but I do believe there are others who need this help, this support,” Ellen Zimiles said. “So, it’s been great.”

“Words Bookstore is an incredible place — a wonderful, nurturing and inclusive environment for children with autism to thrive,” Menendez said. “Not only do they provide invaluable resources and learning opportunities, but they also employ many with developmental disabilities, helping them gain the tools necessary to live independent, productive lives.”

The senator recently toured the Center for Autism in Newark, a new facility that assists adults with autism, where he met experts and local families as part of Autism Awareness Month in April.

A recent study by Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found New Jersey’s autism rate continues to rise and remains the highest in the nation with one in every 34 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

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Photos: U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez