Unumb receives national acclaim

Ex-professor was driving force behind 'Ryan's Law'

Unumb

WASHINGTON — A former Charleston School of Law professor who battled insurance companies to cover autism received national recognition this week for changing South Carolina state law.

Lorri Unumb represented The Post and Courier at the Jefferson Awards for Public Service national ceremonies at the Capital on Tuesday. She was chosen from about 52 local Jefferson Award recipients for leading what became a two-year grassroots effort.

The South Carolina bill Unumb wrote requires state-regulated insurance companies to cover a proven treatment for children with autism and its spectrum of disorders. It was inspired by her son.

Unumb said her world collapsed when Ryan, now 7, was diagnosed with autism just before his second birthday, but she felt hope stir when she learned about an expensive treatment that could help him.

"Then my world collapsed again when I found out that health insurance does not cover autism," Unumb told an audience during a welcoming dinner Monday.

She and husband Dan Unumb, also an attorney, sacrificed to pay for the treatment, but Lorri Unumb said her heart broke for parents who could not afford the intensive therapy.

The legislation named for Ryan requires state-regulated insurance plans to cover a behavioral therapy that can cost upwards of $70,000 a year.

Lorri Unumb is assisting similar efforts in 25 other states, and that number appears to be increasing.

Even though Unumb wasn't selected as one of the five people who were further recognized for their community service with a Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award, she caught the

attention of several movers and shakers. On the eve of the Jefferson Awards Gala Dinner & National Ceremony, an autism organization based in Ohio wanted to contact Lorri Unumb for her help.

Sam Beard, president and co-founder of the Jefferson Awards, pulled Unumb aside after her brief speech Monday, asking her to go after a federal bill.

Both Unumbs like the idea but said they need to take a rest after the South Carolina battle.

Lorri Unumb also is carefully watching as Ryan's Law takes effect in the state July 1. It will not help the Unumbs' son because the state doesn't regulate self-funded plans. But it will help many other children, she said.

The Unumb life also is in transition. They still own a Mount Pleasant home, but spend most of its time in Lexington because she is now an assistant director of the National Advocacy Center of the Department of Justice, based in Columbia.

The accolades will continue next month for Unumb. She and her husband will be named Parents of the Year by the Autism Society of America. The couple will travel to Orlando, Fla., to accept the award.

Lorri Unumb shared the spotlight with roughly 100 Jefferson Award recipients from across the country, many also inspired by personal tragedies. The awards have been called the Nobel Prize for volunteerism.

Sen. Joe Lieberman spoke Tuesday. He received the John Heinz Award for greatest public service by an elected official.

Lieberman told volunteers that their "contributions large and small make the country what we want it to be."

Lee Carter of the Jefferson Awards board of directors said he felt humbled.

"I've heard so many wonderful stories," he said. "What they are doing makes you feel small."