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Category Archives: Autistic Community and Allies

ASAN views the Autistic community as one community, and we work with parents and other allies who share our goals. Other categories of articles, along with past entries sorted by date and tag, can be accessed via the sitemap.

Tell Congress to #FundMFP!

| Ianthe Dempsey
More people with disabilities are living in our communities than ever before – but many people who want access to their communities remain trapped in institutions. Money Follows the Person (MFP) is a federally funded program that has helped over 75,000 people with disabilities move out of institutions and...

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Remarks from Julia Bascom at the DC DDOM Vigil

| Ianthe Dempsey
Thank you all for coming here today and bearing witness with us to all of the lives taken from us before their time. A theme we heard strongly at last year’s vigils, and that we have continued to hear since, is that these murders and atrocities are a reflection...

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Medicaid Day of Action on June 6th

| Ianthe Dempsey
Many groups around the country have been organizing events to defend health care in America. Now, we’ve all joined forces to declare June 6th a national Day of Action to #SaveMedicaid – and we need YOU to get in on the action. Here’s how you can get involved: If...

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#ProtectOurCare Postcard Center

| Ianthe Dempsey
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been asking you to get involved in our fight to defend health care. Your advocacy has been amazing – you’ve called your Members of Congress, attended town halls, and taken to social media to stand up for your right to access health care....

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No Quiet Waters

| Ianthe Dempsey
Growing up with parents who were immigrants from Africa to the United States, I heard a lot of proverbs. I liked many of them, but there were some that I, an autistic child with a very literal mind, simply could not understand. One of those was a proverb that...

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A voice for all: Why I’m fighting to help Autistic students access the form of communication that works best for them.

| Sam Crane
This March, I filed a complaint with the Department of Justice on behalf of five non-speaking autistic students in Arlington, VA who use letter-boards to communicate (or, as one of these students has dubbed them, the “Arlington Five”). These students are only a few of the many non-speaking autistic...

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Remarks from DDOM Founder Zoe Gross at the DC Vigil

| Ianthe Dempsey
I believe everyone should be loved. I believe everyone should be safe. I believe all our lives have value. I believe murder is wrong. I believe the dead should be mourned. I believe we should say their names. Every year I sit down to write and I think that...

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ASAN’s 2015 Annual Report

| Ianthe Dempsey
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a national grassroots disability rights organization run by and for Autistic Americans, advocating for systems change and ensuring that the voices of Autistic people are heard in policy debates and the halls of power. Our staff work to educate communities and improve public...

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The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy on Autism Acceptance

| Ianthe Dempsey
Ari Ne’eman: Let me start the recording. You can talk a little bit about how part of autism acceptance is addressing barriers in public schools and dealing with opening up the general education class, if you would be comfortable relating that to your family’s experience. That would be great....

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ASAN Statement on Sesame Workshop’s “See Amazing” Initiative

| Ianthe Dempsey
On October 21st, 2015, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network issued the following statement regarding Sesame Workshop’s “Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children” initiative: ASAN is proud to be a partner in Sesame Workshop’s “Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children” initiative. Over the past...

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