Mary Katherine Day-Petrano was diagnosed by Michael W. Hoffmann, M.D., University of South Florida Dept. of Neurology, with "High functioning autism with splinter savant traits" and "markedly impaired verbal abilities, but visuospatial remains exceptional."
Michael W. Hoffmann, M.D. wrote Mary Katherine Day-Petrano in his e-mail medical records of March 25, 2009, "So the PET brain revealed bilateral temporal (but less so parietal) hypometabolism. This is exactly the deficits found in autistic children and I believe some autistic adults (adults are rarer to come by). Is that not interesting ! It confirms what we suspected clinically and gives you powerful neuroimaging evidence. regards Michael Hoffmann MD."
In otherwords, Mary Katherine Day-Petrano is an adult with Autism with the brain of an autistic child.
Along with Autism, Mary has severe sensory overload sensitivities. This video shows her extreme sensory overload to food (as well as other) smells that do not bother most others. Carl Schwait, lawyer for Nationwide, knew about these issues, having admitted in writing to having hundreds of pages of Mary's medical and disability information in his poessesion.
Sounds or visual stimuli, or smells or textures, that are tolerated by normal people may cause pain, confusion and/or fear in some autistic people. Sensory over sensitivity can vary from very slight to severe. Autistic people with severe sensory sensitivities will often have tantrums and other what becomes labeled as "bad behavior" in crowded public places due to sensory overload. Such people are the ones who will most likely need environmental modifications. Autistic adults, who remain nonverbal and have very little functional language that is understandable by others, often have more severe sensitivities. For some Autistic people "Certain odors may be overpowering." Temple Grandin, Ph.D., Frequently Asked Questions About Autism, http://www.autism.com/index.php/grand... .
With full knowledge of Mary Katherine Day-Petrano's severe Autism sensory problems, Hon. Magistrate Gary R. Jones who found that Mary "suffers from Autism," in Petranos v. Old Republic et al. ADA lawsuit, N.D.Fla. No. 1:12-cv-00086-SPM/GRJ, Dkt. 116, p. 5, then completely failed to understand what Autism IS, completely ignored the severe Autism sensory overload to smells (including not only the food smells on other people, but their clothing smells, perfumes, and chemical products used to clean Courtrooms, insurance offices, and other locations) that Mary experiences in public places, and found her ADA failure to accommodate claim against Nationwide "frivolous" on the irrational ground that "Plaintiffs have made no allegations that they are unable to access the physical structure of Defendant Nationwide's offices." id., Dkt. 179, pg. 15. Actually, Mary did allege so, by alleging to Magistrate Jones she had Autism and severe sensory overload issues.
BUT, when Nationwide's lawyers like Carl Schwait (as well as Nationwide's ultimate supervisor of lawyers it hires, Nationwide's Executive VP and Chief Legal and Governance Officer and Adjunct Professor Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Patricia R. Hatler), and US Federal Judges who choose to hear only Carl Schwait's and Nationwide's version of Autism, IGNORE some of the more common problems people with Autism face, this results in Autistic people not only losing their meritorious lawsuits -- but getting "sanctioned" (punished) -- a form of Autism abuse that teaches others to misunderstand people with Autism and treat Autistic people improperly.
Similarly, U.S. Attorneys, Pamela Marsh and Peter Fisher of Tallahassee Florida, United States Attorney's Office, along with Kristi Schmidt, Chief Counsel Region VII, Social Security Administration, and Scott Keller, Asst. Regional Counsel, who like Schwait had full knowledge of Mary's extreme Autism sensory overload issues from hundreds of medical and disability documents in their possession, recently told Hon. Magistrate Charles A. Stampelos and Hon. Senior District Court Judge Maurice Paul in Day-Petrano v. Colvin, N.D.Fla. No. 1:12-cv-00097-MP/CAS, that Mary who has been forced to wait ALMOST 12 YEARS for her Social Security disability benefits despite her severe Autism, did not "demonstrate good cause for missing her hearing" after she "complained about the building's atmosphere," id., Colvin, Comm'r of Social Security's Motion to Dismiss, pg. 5, 7, filed by the United states Attorneys, showing in light of this video and other similar videos, that the Federal Buildings Social Security Administration uses are not Autism accessible.
Not only are Social Security's Federal Buildings where hearings are scheduled not Autism accessible, but the United States Attorneys position is Autistic people should be left with no access to life-sustaining medically necessary entitlement benefits for Autism.
These examples show a United States that is not prepared to handle Autism.
