What We Do

Our Mission

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to autism. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal access, rights, and opportunities. We work to empower autistic people across the world to take control of our own lives and the future of our common community, and seek to organize the autistic community to ensure our voices are heard in the national conversation about us. Nothing About Us, Without Us!

Our Work

ASAN works to make our society more inclusive for autistic people. We work to make sure that autistic people are in control in our own lives, and have a say in policies that affect us. We work to protect disability rights and civil rights. We celebrate and promote autistic community and culture. We do this work in many ways, including:

Policy and legal advocacy
Making educational resources
Creating advocacy tools
Leadership training for autistic self-advocates

Annual Reports

Projects

ASAN has many ongoing or recurring projects, including Disability Day of Mourning in March, Autism Acceptance Month in April, and our Autistic Campus Inclusion leadership training each summer. Click on the links below to learn more about these projects.

Resource Library

ASAN publishes a variety of books, toolkits, and reports on various topics of importance to the autistic community. You can browse our Resource Library here.

Action Center

Our Action Center contains information about important policy issues and tools to help self-advocates get involved in legislative advocacy, including our urgent Action Alerts. You can visit the Action Center here.

Coalitions

ASAN is part of many advocacy coalitions working on issues from research to HCBS to plain language and more. To learn about the coalitions we’re part of and the work that they do, click here.

Completed Projects

Descriptions of ASAN’s past projects beginning in 2011 are archived here, along with links to policy briefs and other materials which were produced in connection with those projects.