Guest guest Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Proud Member of the Autism Collaboration Tuesday, September 2, 2008 Dear Friends and Colleagues – THE ILLINOIS STAY AT HOME MOM MARCH: Bringing change home. We are proud to announce the Illinois " Stay at Home " Mom March. This January, parents, grandparents, family members and friends will meet with state senators and representatives to enlist their support of legislation to help end the autism epidemic. Autism must become the first priority of government. For all our progress on other fronts, our concerns are woefully underrepresented at the state and federal levels. Children are recovering; thousands more could be, while thousands more fall – yet in the face of the most important medical crisis of our time, it is politics as usual in Springfield. We need new advocacy efforts to bring the message home – to involve the skill, passion, and knowledge of parents. But our efforts must be designed to accommodate our unique set of challenges. Actions that work for other movements do not necessarily work well when applied to our community. Our efforts are bound by distance and dictated by schedules. While we might not be able to travel long distances, be away for more than a few hours, spend money that is needed on a thousand and one other expenses, or get ourselves arrested, we can still advocate locally and effectively. This “march,” the marchers are staying home to bring the message to the Illinois State Legislature, one parent and one legislator at a time. Each participant in the Illinois Stay at Home Mom March is part of the greater “March.” Individually and in small groups we will visit our legislators. While parents from Peoria are meeting with their legislators, parents from Rockford will be meeting with theirs. Collectively we will blanket the state. During a very special week in January we will schedule meetings between legislators and constituents. Over the course of the week we plan on meeting with every state senator and representative in Illinois – all 177 members. We need your help – Become your district’s representative. To facilitate your involvement: - Meetings with legislators will be held in their home districts – in other words, close to your home. - The meeting times and dates will look to accommodate your schedule. - Volunteers will be mentored and fully prepared to meet their legislators. - You will receive a package of educational and informational materials. - You will be supported as part of a statewide initiative. Our Goals - Educate legislators on our community’s needs. - Provide solutions that will help recover more children and prevent more cases. - Create working coalitions. - Introduce and pass historic legislation. - Establish meaningful and measureable metrics for progress. Become an Autism One Ambassador and meet with your legislators. A map of Illinois legislative districts is Here. Please email me, Ed, at earranga@... if you would like to volunteer or receive more information – and thank you for helping to bring change home. Introducing AHRDI The Autism Human Rights and Discrimination Initiative is a task force that was created to address human rights violations and discrimination against persons with autism and other cognitive challenges internationally. Human rights violations and discrimination can take various forms from blatant abuses to subtle degrees of deprivation. From children and adults being warehoused in institutions under inhumane conditions, to individuals being denied medical care, programs and supports, or insurance that would help their health and function and allow them to be integrated in society, AHRDI strives to end inequities and restore justice. AHRDI is moving forward under the auspices of the Autism Research Institute, a 501©(3) non-profit established in 1967 by Dr. Bernard Rimland. AHRDI’s steering committee is comprised of experts and advocates from the worldwide autism and disability communities, including those from: MDRI, ASA, Autism One and Autism South Africa. Excellent reporting on Dateline, August 29, 2008 “Behind closed doors:” An unprecedented look inside Serbia's mental institutions “Thank you” to Mental Disability Rights International (www.mdri.org) and Laurie Ahern for their excellent work in giving children and adults in Serbia and other countries worldwide a voice. Watch the first of 3 parts of the Dateline report here. See the text here. The Autism File debuts in the US & Canada: Major international journal covering intervention and advocacy available September 8th in Borders and & Noble. Help is on the way for 1 in 150 children, 1 in 88 boys diagnosed with autism The Autism File magazine, a major autism retail- and subscription-based magazine sold in the UK, Spain, and Australia, will be available in retail outlets in the United States and Canada, including Borders and & Noble, on September 8th. The Autism File board, led by Polly Tommey, Editor-in-Chief, has appointed Teri Arranga, Director of Autism One, as Editor for the US and Canada. Chantal Sicile-Kira, award-winning author of the books Autism Spectrum Disorders and Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum, who is The Autism File’s “Dear Abby” columnist, has been appointed Director of Marketing for the US and Canada. The Autism File includes articles and interviews from doctors, researchers, therapists, educators, advocates, persons on the spectrum, and parents who genuinely understand the factors underlying diagnoses faced by families with children and adults on the spectrum, including full-syndrome autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, ADD, dyslexia, and other related conditions. The September edition includes articles on the topic of human rights and discrimination from Edelson, PhD, Director of the Autism Research Institute, and Teri Arranga. For further information, please email: teri@... Defeat Autism Now! will be holding the Defeat Autism Now! Fall 2008 Conference in San Diego, CA, October 23-27 at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center. Speakers include: Australia’s Robyn Cosford, MBBS; the M.I.N.D. Institute’s Judy Van de Water, PhD; the NIMH’s Sue Swedo, MD; and Jaquelyn McCandless, MD, author of Children with Starving Brains. https://defeatautismnow.com/SanDiego/sandiego.html The National Autism Association will be holding the National Autism Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, November 13-16 at the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa – Broward County’s first state-certified “green” hotel! Speakers include: Congressman Dave Weldon, MD; renowned gastroenterologist, Wakefield, MD; Verbal Behavior expert, Partington, PhD; and Wake Forest researcher, Steve , PhD. For more information, please visit: www.nationalautismconference.org As always, please let us know if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or ideas. Thank you. Our Best, Ed and Teri Arranga 714.680.0792 http://AutismOne.org earranga@... To be removed from this list please reply with " Remove " in the subject line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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