Autism and its related conditions are becoming more prevalent in the United States and around the world. As the awareness of autism has increased so has the creation of organizations dedicated to providing support for those in the autism community. Many groups focus on parents of children with autism but there is also an increasingly popular trend towards autistic self-advocacy.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and The Autism Acceptance Project are just two of the groups that are gaining momentum on the neurodiversity front.
The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN)
From the ASAN website, the organization “was created to provide support and services to individuals on the autism spectrum while working to change public perception and combat misinformation by educating communities about persons on the Autism Spectrum.” Ari Ne’eman founded the organization; Ne’eman is the current President of the organization and is Aspergic. Ne’eman’s self-advocacy journey began in high school and has morphed into his current role with the ASAN.
The ASAN has chapters in several states as well as Australia. The organization provides a variety of outreach and advocacy programs including social/support groups, educational services and spearheading public policy plans. Additionally, The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network also provides speaking and consulting services and maintains a Speaker’s Bureau comprised of autistic adults.
The Autism Acceptance Project (TAAP)
TAAP is a partner organization of The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. The Autism Acceptance Project’s mission statement includes the following commitment, “TAAProject will bring forth a different and positive view about autism to the public in order to foster understanding and acceptance, and to empower parents and autistic people.”
Estee Klar-Wolfond who has an autistic son founded TAAP. Michael Moon, Ellen Yack, Andrew Brown, Brian Henson, Martine Stonehouse and Mark Persaud join Estee on the Board of Directors. In addition to the Board of Directors, TAAP also has an advisory panel that serves to provide input on issues relating to autism.
TAAProject also has a Speaker’s Bureau; interested parties can contact the organization to schedule a presentation for their school or organization. Other TAAP offerings include a parent support group led by Michael Moon and Brian Henson, a mentoring program, the “Joy of Autism” blog and an online gallery of work by autistic artists.
The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network and The Autism Acceptance Project are just two of the many organizations that focus on autistic issues from the autistic viewpoint. While Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of America garner the most media attention as well as funding, ASAN and TAAProject are working on a grass-roots level as organizations created by autistics for autistics.
For information on the use of the word autistic instead of the phrase "has autism" in this article, please read: Person-First Language and Autism: Neurodiversity and the Prejudice of Politically Correct Terminology.
