[ASAN] Bringing Autism Acceptance Month to Your Community?

Post Reply New Topic

This April, ASAN will be working with activists and community members across the country to help launch Autism Acceptance Month, a celebration of Autistic culture and community. We want you to help us by organizing a local event in your area for Autism Acceptance Month and letting us know about it by e-mailing [email protected]. There are lots of options, but here are a few ideas for you to consider as you start your planning:

* Community Readings: The Autistic Community is home to some great writers and essayists, some of whom are not yet broadly recognized by the general public. By organizing a local reading event at a bookstore or other public space, you can help introduce members of your community to pieces like Jim Sinclair’s seminal “Don’t Mourn for Us” or Julia Bascom’s “Quiet Hands”. Look to your favorite Autistic authors and bloggers for a place to start – or check out the recently published Loud Hands, Autistic People Speaking anthology for a collection of some of our community’s most important writings:
http://www.amazon.com/Loud-Hands-Autist ... 1938800028

* Stim-Ins: Have fun while educating people about autism access needs – by holding a “stim-in”, you can gather community members together to enjoy cool stim toys and good company while hearing presentations on how to accommodate the access needs of Autistic community members. Topics to cover may include things like social communication signal badges, accommodating sensory access needs, creating safe spaces, understanding and supporting the neurodiversity movement, what being an “ally” really means and much more. Alternatively, these can be a great way for Autistic community members to congregate and spend time together in Autistic space.

* Film Screenings: The last few years have seen the emergence of some great films involving Autistic community and voice. Flicks like Loving Lampposts, Wretches and Jabberers, Citizen Autistic and many others help send the message that Autistic people are part of the fabric of our society and are not going anywhere. Organize a local screening and facilitate a discussion session afterwards to help make sure that the message of Autism Acceptance is available in your community.

* Panel Presentations: Always a favorite for public education efforts, panels allow you to bring together various leading voices in your local Autistic community. By placing self-advocate voices front and center, a panel presentation may be just what you need to help provide an overview of the neurodiversity movement, self-advocacy or key opportunities and challenges your local Autistic community may be facing in the coming months and years. Panels work well for exploring both basic concepts in autism acceptance and more complicated issues, like self-advocate/parent relations or research policy.

* Much more! We want to hear about what works for you and your community – feel free to come up with ideas not on this list. And remember, when you do, e-mail us at [email protected] so we can list your event on our website for Autism Acceptance Month:
http://autisticadvocacy.org/2013/03/wan ... community/

Autistic Self Advocacy Network
PO Box 66122 | Washington, DC 20035 US

I really don't think I could handle organizing anything on that scale, but I'd be happy to attend one.

I'm thinking of writing a couple of essays for local papers, about bad things that have happened not because of my autism but because of peoples' rush to judgment and about how it feels to be a grown woman living every day with the knowledge that I must hide myself, hide my personality, that every time I go out must be a mini Hollywood production, if I want just to have the things that other people take for granted (like to be left alone and to be safe).

I'd like them to know what it feels like to live in fear, that there are far worse things that can happen to a high-funcitoning autistic than saying something off-base or talking too loud or whatever.

I'd also love to attend one. I don't feel that I'd be able to handle all the work of putting one together. If I went to one, I could show everyone my coiled stim ball.

Ive already written to a bespoke m.p who says he will channel every bit of his energy into this root cause, but even then I wonder if he really means it or just saying that.
The first message I sent was automated from the NAS right who said on their website send any replies you get from mps , which I did. The second ones were from me, id put it on here maybe but I need more than one vote of recognition from 'team players' anyway to start the ball rolling around here. Anyway I wish all you people well on your journey outside and beyond.