As March and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month end, we jump right into April and the 10th year of Autism Acceptance Month. Why acceptance and not awareness? According to our friends at Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN), "acceptance is an action" and we must "shift from stigmatizing 'autism awareness' language that presents autism as a threat to be countered with vigilance.
As a part of Autism Acceptance Month, we would like to spotlight our local, autistic leaders on our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!) The graphic will look like this:
If you would like to be spotlighted on our social media pages, e-mail Emily Kranking, Strategic Communications Fellow, at [email protected] with a photo of you, your job & job title, a 1-3 sentence biography, and why you accept your autism.
We can not wait to honor our community and celebrate autism all this month and always!
Events:
Autism Acceptance Month Coffee Talk Series 2021
AMCHP's State Public Health Autism Resource Center (SPHARC) is proud to host a virtual coffee talk series in honor of Autism Awareness Month. They will be joined by expert guests speakers each week, including young adults and self-advocates with ASD. This series is open to all interested attendees.
April 7 - Telehealth & ASD, 2:00-2:45PM EST
Dr. Jeffrey Hine from Vanderbilt University will be sharing about TELE-ASD-PEDS, a tool designed for use by providers and families during a telehealth assessment for autism.
April 14 - Disability, Gender, and Race, 2:00-2:45PM EST
Guest speakers:
Lydia X. Z. Brown is an advocate, educator, and attorney addressing state and interpersonal violence targeting disabled people living at the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, faith, language, and nation.
Dr. Jessica Horvath Williams is the co-chair of the Critical Disability Studies Collective at the University of Minnesota.
April 21 - Transition & Employment, 2:00-2:45PM EST
Many adults with autism are unemployed or underemployed, despite having the skills to succeed in the work place. Learn about how we can support young adults as they transition out of school and into their communities.
Guest speaker: Haley Moss is an attorney, author, artist, and autism advocate.
April 28 - Celebrating Neurodiversity, 2:00-2:45PM EST
This coffee talk will showcase a parent discussing the importance of taking a lifespan approach to supporting independence and individuality in autistic individuals. The latter half of this event will feature an opportunity for participants to join autistic-led breakouts exploring tangible steps we can all take to better elevate the voices of autistic individuals.
Guest speaker: Yetta Myrick - parent advocate; founder & Executive Director of DC Autism Parents
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-rVfUpXCRSWfoK0ShNKL1A
The AASPIRE Healthcare Toolkit: Improving Healthcare for Autistic Adults
Presented by Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH. The Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) used a community-based participatory research approach to develop a set of online tools meant to improve primary healthcare for adults on the autism spectrum. Dr. Nicolaidis will review the research used to create and evaluate the toolkit and will demonstrate how adult patients, their supporters, and their providers can use the tools to facilitate high-quality healthcare.
April 15, 2021, 2:00 PM-3:00PM EDT
Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1416787115368549903?source=Eblast1
The Federal Response to COVID-19: Addressing the Needs of the Autism and Disability Communities
This event will feature presentations from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Labor on issues related on health, education, and employment for people with disabilities during the pandemic, followed by discussion with leaders from the autism advocacy community.
April 28, 2021, 2:00-4:00PM EDT
Register: https://iacc.hhs.gov/meetings/autism-events/2021/april28/federal-response-to-covid.shtml