24. Evelyn Ain

One in 150. That’s the low-end official estimate of how many American children are on the autism spectrum. And Ain, a mother of one of those children, represents the interests of all those kids and their families through her ongoing work as an autism and developmental disabilities advocate. After her son Matthew was diagnosed, she launched Spectrum magazine, a bimonthly national magazine for families with autistic and developmentally disabled children. Last April, she co-founded the national advocacy group Autism United, helped establish two local resource centers with programs for disabled individuals, and is currently fighting for schools to provide necessary therapies and services to autistic students. Often found lobbying in Albany, another of her causes is protecting children who age out of their programs. There’s still a long way to go, but with people like Ain clearing the way, the future is definitely looking more promising. For this group of children who often cannot speak for themselves, Ain is the most important voice on our list.