Action Alerts

The autistic and nonspeaking communities are often left out of setting priorities for funding research. This means that research often doesn’t reflect our entire community. Research about us should benefit us – we’ve got two ways you can help make that happen. One way is writing in response to a request for information from the...

ASAN strongly supports and thanks Congress for the introduction of the 2023 Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA). KASSA would ban almost all kinds of restraint and all kinds of seclusion across all 50 states, and would require school districts to collect data to prevent further use of these dangerous practices. This bill mimics ones...

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to make spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. These horrific cuts would result in millions of people losing crucial access to programs like Medicaid, housing assistance, and SNAP! We’re hearing from our allies on the Hill that our community needs to act NOW and...

For years, the disability community has worked to end torture at the Judge Rotenberg Center. While we work towards an FDA ban on the use of electric shocks, there is critical state-level legislation that would affect the Judge Rotenberg Center. Massachusetts legislators have introduced a bill that would ban aversives. “Aversives” means using pain to...

Submitting public comments is an important way for self advocates to make our needs and priorities known when it comes to public policy. This March, there are two important opportunities for you to make yourself heard to the IACC and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regarding priorities for autism research and telemedicine.  Before March 22,...

For years, the disability community has worked to end torture at the Judge Rotenberg Center. While we work towards an FDA ban on the use of electric shocks, there is critical state-level legislation that would affect the Judge Rotenberg Center. The New York state legislature has reintroduced a bill that would stop the state from...

Every year the federal government distributes funds for research on autism. The IACC makes recommendations about where those funds go and what research should be prioritized. The IACC meets several times each year to discuss where these funds should go and how much money different research subjects should get.  Self advocates have the power to...

Congress’ failure to end the use of electric shock torture at the Judge Rotenberg Center earlier this year does not mark the end of the fight to stop the shock.  We have another legislative opportunity coming up: the end of the year omnibus bill. An omnibus bill is a bill that covers a lot of...

Torturers being allowed to present at a conference on the merits of their torture: that’s exactly what is happening at the ABAI conference this Thursday through Monday. ABAI is the Association for Behavioral Analysis International, the governing body of ABA practitioners. ABAI accredits ABA programs, which means they give the power to continue to do...

For years, the disability community has put in the work to close the Judge Rotenberg Center. While much of our focus has been on the national level, there is now critical state-level legislation that would affect the Judge Rotenberg Center. The New York state legislature is introducing a bill that would stop the state from...

All too often, people with disabilities are told we aren’t worth investing in—but we know that our community deserves the supports and services we need to live safely in our communities. Last month, President Biden confirmed his support for the largest federal investment yet to expand home- and community-based services (HCBS). HCBS funding has a...

What would it look like if federal autism research funding was spent researching subjects autistic people care about? Autism researchers could direct more funding towards how to make work or school more accessible for autistic people, learning why so many of us struggle with sleep, or any number of other subjects that impact our everyday...