Greg Gerkens is an educator in the state of New York. He most recently served as assistant principal of an Eastern Suffolk BOCES school, where he focused on students in the special education program. As part of his greater commitment to children who live with disabilities, Greg Gerkens is an active supporter of Autism Speaks.
Autism Speaks works to meet the varying needs of people with autism and their families. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to improving interventional services for people who have been diagnosed with autism as well as increasing the general public’s understanding of spectrum disorders.
Autism Speaks also engages in political advocacy in order to create policies that help people with autism. It is currently working in support of S. 2614, also known as Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2016.
This law is intended to address responses to wandering, which can be a major concern for children with developmental disabilities. S. 2614 would provide better funding for first responder training in order to improve state and local law enforcement responses in wandering cases. Kevin and Avonte's Law was introduced to the US Congress in December of 2016, passed the House, and is awaiting further review.
