Autism Rally at Statehouse in April

[Guest guest]

Dear Friend of ASO:

A rally at the Ohio Statehouse to bring legislators attention to the recommendations of the Ohio Autism Taskforce and raise awareness of autism has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 13, 2005. The rally will take place on the South side of the statehouse at 10am. The rally is still in the planning stages - we will provide you with more information, directions, schedule, agenda, speakers, etc. as it becomes available.

Please set up an appointment with your State Representative and/or Senator that day to talk about the recommendations. Be prepared to tell a personal story about how one or more of the recommendations would affect your family or how you have been adversely affected by Ohio's current policies. Not sure about who is your State Rep. or State Senator? Visit www.house.state.oh.us, click on “Your Representatives†and enter your zipcode. Visit www.senate.state.oh.us, click on “Your Senators†and enter your zipcode.

The Ohio Legislature is currently debating the next 2-year Ohio budget which will be passed

into law at the end of June 2005. The release of the OAT report provides all of us who are

affected by autism a golden opportunity to make our voices heard and advocate for improved

services for our loved ones with autism. While some of the recommendations do not come

with a price tag, many do. This is going to be one of the tightest budgets in years, with many

services being cut. It is imperative that legislators hear that Ohio lags far behind other states

in providing services to individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities, and that

rather than cutting important services, implementing recommendations of the OAT will save

Ohio taxpayers in the long run!

Make your voice heard! Contact your legislators today to schedule an appointment and plan

on attending the Rally!

More details will be forthcoming as available. The full report of the Taskforce is not yet

available, but we will provide it to you as soon as it is. Please circulate this to anyone you

feel would be interested.

Sincerely,

Barbara C. YavorcikPresidentAutism Society of Ohio701 S. Main St.Akron, OH 44311(330) 376-0211fax: (330) 376-1226email: askASO@...home: byavorcik@...web: www.autismohio.org2005 ASO Bi-Annual Conference"Reaching Beyond the Horizon - Challenging the Autism Spectrum"Friday and Saturday, October 14-15, 2005 Kingsgate Marriott in Cincinnati, Ohio