AutismAid

From a new group, AutismAid:

Lawrence Goldfarb, founder of LRG Capital Group and Bay Area autism activist, and Tim Welsh, national activist and voice for autism awareness, have created AutismAid, a 501(c)3 with the goal and objective of being an umbrella for autism organizations and supporters across the globe to unify and gather under for support. Their desire is to refocus education on key issues in autism and the mobilization of communities to create a sustainable safety net, effectively providing a balance of services in the community that they feel has not been adequate.

The project was born out of an observation that while various niche-interest autism groups are critical, the effectiveness of these groups is restricted to only those niches where a multitude of different understandings and restrictions for participation and inclusion may exist. For Lawrence and Tim, this involves breaking down any existing discrimination between socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic locations. Once freed of these barriers, the project will allow the voices of all to be heard, while adding to a collective consciousness of autism and how it affects millions of our friends and families worldwide.

In order to address the broad range of views and opinions on autism and autism care, Lawrence and Tim first seek to recognize and acknowledge the achievements of these smaller communities, while paying it forward to the creation of a greater community of autism supporters and workers who will make a difference in saving lives. Lawrence and Tim invite businesses, non-profits, the medical community, and individuals from neighborhoods around the world to participate in the cause. "The Tommy Foundation is thrilled to have a major player jump into the arena with us, and look forward to continuing to make the autism movement a stronger place for its people," says Rich Everts, co-founder of The Tommy Foundation, which is in the umbrella of AutismAid, and who is also the director of The United States of Autism (2012). Currently, Lawrence and Tim are in the process of formulating the criteria and standards for participation, as well as collecting nominations and submissions from regional service providers. If you would like to learn more and be involved, please email Lawrence Goldfarb at larry@lrgcap.com or Tim Welsh at realtannersdad@gmail.com.

Follow & like Lawrence Goldfarb at https://twitter.com/LarryRGoldfarb and https://www.facebook.com/BayAreaAutismForum
Follow Tim Welsh at https://twitter.com/TannersDad

The Autism Society and the Grassroots

A statement from Scott Badesch, Autism Society President and COO:

New Government Affairs Committee emphasizes strength of local chapters

It is a pleasure to serve the Autism Society. It is a great honor and privilege to serve as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Autism Society. I strongly believe there is no better-positioned grassroots organization existing in the United States to best represent the needs of all those affected by autism. To best serve these individuals, the Autism Society is advancing its government and public policy efforts to enhance the active involvement of its 150 chapters, members and all those involved with the organization to help define its yearly legislative agenda.

The Autism Society has a volunteer led committee, co-chaired by national board members Andrew Baumann and Jon Basinger, who help define, upon the suggestions of Autism Society’s constituents, the organization’s top three to five legislative priorities. I am certain you will regularly hear about the work of this committee and how you can help decide the legislative priorities and then assist with their implementation. The Autism Society will also engage personnel at government entities and elected officials in discussions on how best to fully incorporate the needs of those living with autism into all aspects of daily life in a community and throughout the nation.

We need to move beyond simply advocating within the autism community to advocating throughout all aspects of society. Our current effort is to get our nation fired up that more than 80 precent of adults with autism are unemployed. We are a nation that finds a 9 percent unemployment rate for the general working public unacceptable, but often times, as a nation, we’re less likely to speak out against unemployment rates among adults with autism. The same holds true with housing, poverty prevention, and insurance coverage.

For more information about the Autism Society’s public policy campaign, Vote4Autism, please visit www.vote4autism.org.

Autism Mobilization

Mike Wasmer, Autism Speaks Kansas Chapter Advocacy Chair and founder of the Kansas Coalition for Autism Legislation (KCAL - www.kscoalitionforautism.org) writes at Autism Speaks about mobilization:

I am excited about Autism Votes’ recent introduction of the Autism Votes mobile text alert campaign. By texting “AVotes” to 30644, advocates will receive action alerts to support autism-related state and federal legislation directly to their mobile phone. This tool is exactly what we need to mobilize the autism community before the opposition tries to pull a fast one on us.

He explains that, in 2009, autism advocates were not quick enough to answer a counterattack against an insurance reform bill, which fell short by 10 votes. He notes the lessons:

First, Shelley Hendrix is a wise woman, so listen to her when she tells you, “The political process is a roller coaster. So kids, you’d better buckle up and keep your arms and legs inside the car because it’s going to be a crazy ride.” Secondly, there is a huge difference between growing your grassroots and effectively mobilizing your grassroots. Despite all of our calls, e-mails, and social network posts, when we needed a rapid response from the troops, we had to find a way to get the word out quickly and get advocates to take action immediately.

The Kansas bill was eventually signed into law this past April, becoming the 18th state to enact autism insurance reform. However, the new law is limited in its reach and until every person with autism in Kansas has meaningful access to the treatments and therapies they need, our work here is not yet done. With the new Autism Votes mobile text alert program, we will be stronger and quicker for the 2011 legislative session. We will be able to build on the 2010 law and expand coverage to all who need it.