Join us for this year’s virtual gala, featuring a night of panels, celebration, and community. This year’s theme is We Weave Our Own Story, a tribute to the ways in which we all build networks of support for our communities.
The gala will be held on Thursday, November 16th and we’ll be celebrating our community with our award ceremony featuring remarks from incredible awardees, exciting panels, and words from the folks at ASAN!
This will be our fourth virtual gala, and we’re so excited that having it online means more people can join in — we hope you’ll be among them! Everyone’s welcome. We’re thrilled to share the gala with disability community members and allies from across the country and around the world, who usually wouldn’t be able to attend in-person. We ask that our gala attendees donate if they are able to do so, but donations are never required to attend.
Be sure to RSVP on Facebook to stay in the loop.
Everyone’s welcome. Let’s celebrate self-advocacy for all and keep working to make our community better for all of us.
For more information about gala sponsorship opportunities, contact Jean Winegardner at jwinegardner@autisticadvocacy.org.
Download the program with full schedule and more here.
Giveaway
We’ll be raffling off 25 copies of Alice Wong’s book Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life, her debut memoir available now from Vintage Books and two year-long ASAN memberships at the Trivia Teammates tier, which includes a membership wel- come pack, a member-exclusive newsletter, digital phone and computer wallpapers, an ASAN logo sticker, an ASAN mug, a $5 gift card to ASAN shop, a physical copy of one of ASAN’s books (Knowing Why, Navigating College, Empowering Leadership, Wel- come to the Autistic Community, or Loud Hands), an ASAN pen, an ASAN lapel pin, an ASAN tangle, and a T-shirt!
After the award ceremony, we’ll be contacting the winners of our raffle. Make sure you’re registered for the gala in order to be entered into the raffle!
2023 Annual Gala Schedule
Download the program with full schedule and more here.
Keeping the Promise: The Settings Rule and securing an end to institutions – 3:30 to 5:15 PM ET
The HCBS Settings Rule, which went into effect earlier this year, is all about our right to receive services that are truly community-based and that respect our rights, rather than being stuck in “institutions in disguise.” Moderated by Greg Robinson, this panel will talk about what this Rule means for the autistic and wider disability community, the advocacy that went into fighting for the Rule, and the continued work to secure what is promised by the Rule.
How to avoid unraveling: Building trans autistic community care – 5:30 to 7:15 PM ET
As attacks against trans communities continue to ramp up in state legislatures, in schools, at libraries and on the playing field, keeping joy and connection in our communities is more crucial than ever. Moderated by Alex Grandstaff, this panel will talk about building community at the intersections of transness and disability and how trans autistic joy is a form of resistance.
Award Ceremony – 7:30 PM ET
At this year’s Awards Ceremony, we will be honoring several awardees for their tireless work in advocacy, research, community building, and so much more. We’ll also hear remarks by our outgoing Executive Director Julia Bascom, incoming Interim Executive Director Avery Outlaw, and ASAN staff members! The Award Ceremony will be livestreamed on ASAN’s Youtube channel.
Raffle Drawing – Post Award Ceremony
We’ll be contacting the winners of our raffle following the award ceremony. We will be raffling off 2 free year-long ASAN memberships, and 25 copies of Alice Wong’s book Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life. Make sure you’re registered for the gala in order to be entered into the raffle, and keep an eye out for an email from us!