Elections always bring out the guff about who is 'vulnerable' in society.
The elderly, hate crime victims, single mums and alcoholics always seem to qualify as 'vulnerable' by politicians eager to cure society's ills in exchange for votes.
But there is one group which is steadily growing in numbers who need to be moved to the top of this queue – post 19 young people with severe learning difficulties, commonly called the SLDs.
Since my youngest son was diagnosed with severe autism in November 1997, I have alarmingly noticed how Ireland's autistic spectrum has widened and rapidly increased.
The hard fact is that there are now young people and adults on that spectrum in 2011 who never would have been considered as autistic in 1997.
And it was only a matter of days before the end of this current Assembly last month that much-needed legislation to help those with autism and their carers was passed. It's been a long 13-year wait since Stormont first came back in the summer of 1998.
But the autism campaigners proved that with persistent lobbying, the MLAs would buckle and grant such lobbyists their wishes in law.
My son cannot talk; there's a strong chance he never will. He needs 24/7 care. He will never be able to apply for a job; keep a diary; get married or even complete a university degree.
I have a nightmare … who will care for my son when I'm dead? He's now 16, and in three years' time he will be out of special education and into society.
While nursery and school facilities for Irish SLDs are magnificent, once they hit 19, there's virtually nothing.
The new crop of MLAs and councillors to be elected on 5 May need to realise this, and that the SLD post 19 lobby has been increasing in both numbers and influence in recent months.
There's been much talk about gay pride and pensioner power, but the SLD crew looks certain to become one of the most vocal political lobbies for equality in the North in the coming months.
Of the 22 special needs Northern schools dealing with SLDs, over half now belong to the Post 19 Lobby Group. Parties and candidates need to know – that's a lot of voters!
And if the British government can consider voting rights for jailbirds, the Stormont Assembly should consider either polling rights or proxy voting for SLDs – there are thousands in this category across the North.
The dole queues will lengthen as more parents and carers of SLDs have to ditch their full-time and part-time jobs to look after their siblings after they hit 19.
And this number is set to climb as more and more SLDs are diagnosed. The benefits system is woefully crap at helping parents and carers in this predicament.
It is not a case that SLDs are rapidly becoming the Number One 'vulnerable' section; they are already Northern society's 'Totally Forgotten' community.
The hard reality is that our SLDs require equality when it comes to lifelong learning. Shoving them into a classroom with outdated computers in a little used Tech is not a solution.
Ours is not a minority voice in Northern politics. Everyone knows someone who has a link to an SLD – and that means thousands of SLDs is translating into tens of thousands of potential voters.
The SLD lobby itself could decide who wins a significant number of the 108 MLAs on 5 May. Some seats may only be won by a handful of votes, so imagine what a lobby group of around 100,000 supporters could achieve?
The Post 19 Lobby Group can no longer be dismissed as a bunch of whinging parents and carers. We are organised – and we can influence elections.
Maybe all the SLDs can give us as parents is their love … but we can give them a secure post 19 future. All it takes is the right people in Stormont. I, like tens of thousands of other supporters of SLDs, will remember that on 5 May.
