A dream came true this week for Sondra Williams, a member of the Autism Society’s Panel of People on the Spectrum of Autism. On Monday, the 20^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, she stood with one of her heroes, President Barack Obama, and shook his hand – twice.

“I still think it’s like a dream that’s not really happening,” said Williams, a woman with autism who serves as an adviser to the Autism Society. “The only higher person than him is God – that’s the only higher person I haven’t met yet.”

Williams, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, is a married mother of four children, all of whom have been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, and a grandmother of two. She is a self-published author and recently took up dance lessons. One of the characteristics Williams respects about the President is the resilience he showed during the presidential campaign. “He didn’t let the water ripple under his feet; he just stood there strong,” she said. “To me, I think he really represents the people … he didn’t come from a lot of money and wealth.”

Read the full article from the Autism Society’s web site here.

And a big THANK YOU goes out to Nebraska Advocate Sharon da Vanport who also joined advocates at the White House to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the American’s With Disabilities Act!   Thank you to everyone who puts themselves out there to provide a voice for our community!

Are you making vacations plans this summer? Wondering how to make travel easier on an individual with autism?   Visit the Autism Society of America website HERE for some great summer travel tips from experts on how to make the most of your time away!

Check out this amazing little girl!  8-year-old Gina Incandela astonishes fans and producers alike with a beyond-her-years-voice.  She recently released her first single, “I Sing.”   A portion of the song sales (available on iTunes and Amazon MP3) will benefit the Autism Society of America. The Incandelas have also released a music video through YouTube, which has already garnered thousands of views in its first few weeks since being posted.

Gina’s new single can be accessed through the following iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-sing/id366511571.

Her music video of the single, “I Sing,” is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg4Sd4Pq0AM.

Learn more about Gina at http://www.ginachildperformer.com/.

For the full article visit the Autism Society of America web site.

Every month, Pepsi awards grants through the Refresh Project for ideas that will have a positive impact– and you get to vote for the great ideas that mean the most to you.

In May, the Autism Society is eligible for a grant to expand our free nationwide support line (currently open 8 hours each weekday), to offer confidential, one-to-one contact with a live specialist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When a diagnosis is made, parents and family members often wonder what to do next. Even where valuable treatments and support services exist, families must negotiate a maze of agencies and providers in search of support appropriate to their individual needs—a process that consumes time and energy already in short supply for families affected by autism. Parents, individuals on the spectrum, and professionals often want to talk to a skilled professional about their situation, and many times cannot or do not know who to call.

The Autism Society already provides this line of support to many families and individuals, but with the help of this grant, we can expand our contact center to make trained professionals available at any hour of the day or night, and provide more training and support to Autism Society chapters to improve their local outreach efforts.

The grant is given to ideas that get the highest number of votes for each funding level in a one month period, so we need you to log on and vote every single day in the month of May. You can vote for 10 different ideas every day, so please use one of those votes to support our project. Your vote will have a huge impact on helping people get support from those who really understand. Go to www.refresheverything.com/autismsource today to show your support of this great idea!

PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!  

Ask others to vote at www.refresheverything.com/autismsource throughout May

PLEASE VOTE EVERY DAY!

Spread the word. Helping the autism community can be as easy as updating your Facebook or Twitter status! On April 1, the Autism Society is asking supporters to change their status on Facebook and/or Twitter to “Autism affects 1 in 110.

Help spread the word: http://bit.ly/bUAVRf.”

For the first time ever, supporters can now simply text “AUTISM” to 50555 to donate $10 to the Autism Society. 100% of your donations will go to support the Autism Society’s mission of improving the lives of all affected by autism.

From the Autism Society Web site….New visual teaching tool from Model Me Kids

Model Me Kids^® recently introduced a new visual teaching tool for helping children learn to navigate challenging locations in the community: Model Me Going Places^™, an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The app contains photo slideshows of children modeling appropriate behavior in various community locations, such as the:

hairdresser
mall
doctor
playground
grocery store
restaurant

The app is based on locations included in the Model Me Going Places DVD, the latest addition to the Model Me Kids social skills training series for children with autism and Asperger Syndrome (expected release date for the DVD is March 2010).

Users can touch the forward and back buttons to move through the photos one by one, or simply press a slideshow button to advance photos automatically. A home button brings users back to the navigation menu where they can choose their next destination. The app also includes audio narration (English) and descriptive text for each photo.

Download the free app at the Apple store or to learn more, visit http://www.modelmekids.com.

Education.com and the Autism Society have collaborated to bring articles on the most current topics of interest to teachers, parents, professionals, and individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The website is dedicated to providing information from the most qualified professionals in the field of autism.

You will find articles relating to …

Strategies and solutions for the classroom

Guidance and support for parents

Inspirational and motivational stories written by individuals with an autism spectrum disorder

You will also find topics highlighting …

Social life

School performance

Interventions

Life after high school

Personal reflection

With everything from learning supplements to articles written by teachers and professionals, Education.com is the support center for parents — equipping you with essential tools to make learning more enjoyable for your child.

For an in-depth look into these articles, or for more helpful information relating to autism and Asperger Syndrome, please visit http://www.education.com/special-edition/aspergers.

How to upload art to the Autism Society online art exhibition:

1) If the art is not already in an electronic format, take a digital photograph of it, or scan the art into a computer as a JPG, GIF or PNG file.
2) Email the art as an attachment to: webmaster@autism-society.org.

Autism Society online art exhibition rules and procedures

• Please do not send original art, as submissions cannot be returned.
• Submit Art Permission Statement to have art exhibited.
• All art submitted for display in the Autism Society online art exhibit will be reviewed by the Autism Society at its sole discretion for taste and propriety.
• Due to space constraints, depending on the number of accepted submissions we receive, art will be displayed for a period of time and then replaced with other artwork.
• By submitting art, respondents agree to allow the Autism Society to use submitted art for fundraising purposes.
• All individuals with autism spectrum disorder are invited to submit.

  Thank you for your valued participation and support!

A national report released today in the journal Pediatrics reveals that 1 percent of U.S. children ages 3-17 have an autism spectrum disorder, an estimated prevalence of one in every 91 children. This is a dramatic increase from the one in 150 prevalence rates currently reported.

More information here.

Autism Society Launches YouTube Channel

Check out the Autism Society’s new YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/TheAutismSociety.  They have uploaded several videos from our recent National Conference in St. Charles, Ill. Don’t miss “The Future of Autism” and “The Culture of Autism”, two special videos produced for the conference, and Autism Society President & CEO Lee Grossman’s introduction to Thursday’s keynote discussion on the future of autism. More keynote videos are coming soon, so be sure to subscribe to the channel to get the latest updates!

Ensure Long-Term Services and Supports are Included in Health Care Reform

Background:
In coming weeks, the Senate will finalize legislation to reform America’s health care system. Long-term services and supports are essential to individuals with disabilities and seniors and must be included.

While over 48 million Americans do not have medical insurance, over 250 million Americans lack any insurance protection for the costs of long-term services.

Nearly half of all funding for long-term services is provided through Medicaid that requires individuals to impoverish themselves to receive supports.

There is an institutional bias within Medicaid that denies Americans with disabilities an equal choice for home and community services.

Hundreds of thousands of individuals with disabilities and their families are on waiting lists for Medicaid home and community-based services.

Proposals exist to help address these issues. However, they will only be included within health care reform legislation if Congress hears from you. Aging and disability organizations have joined together to host a national call-in day on Wednesday, May 13. Please join thousands of others across the country in calling your Senators to tell them how important it is to include long-term services and supports. Your calls can make a difference!

Call in Information

When:  Wednesday May 13th between 8am and 6pm EDT

Call In Number - 1-866-459-9232  (Toll free)

You will be asked which state you are calling from and will be connected to your Senators’ offices. Below is a sample script to leave a message.

Hello (state your name and where you are calling from). I’m calling to ask the Senator to help make sure long-term services and supports are part of health care reform. Long-term services and supports are essential to the health, well-being, and community participation of individuals with disabilities and seniors. Please ensure long-term services and supports are included in legislation to reform health care. Thank you.

ASA, in collaboration with the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) hope that you will participate in the National Call-In Day May 13: Ensure Long-Term Services and Supports are Included in Health Care Reform.