THE POWER OF ONE! IDEA RALLY COMES TO WASH, DC A FREE EVENT & OPEN TO THE GENERA

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PRESS RELEASE

FWD From: asearchers@... (asearchers)

Contact: Jan or Brennan

(301) 261-7702

March 26, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April is National Autism Awareness Month

THE POWER OF ONE! IDEA RALLY COMES TO WASH, DC

A FREE EVENT & OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

BATON ROUGE, LA--Unlocking Autism, a national not-for-profit

organization,

will be in Washington, DC again this year on Sunday, April 21, noon

to

5 p.

m., hosting the third annual The Power of ONE! IDEA Rally on

Independence

Mall between 3rd and 4th Sts. The rally is cosponsored and

underwritten

this

year by Cure Autism Now, The Autism Society of America, The New Jersey

Center

for Outreach & Services for the Autism Community, The Autism

Coalition

for

Research and Education, The Vaccine Injury Alliance, Youth

Consultation

Services: Sawtelle Learning Centers, SAFE Minds and Medical

Interventions in

Autism.

The 2002 Power of ONE theme incorporates the primary focus of the

Individuals

with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): to continue to increase the

U.S.

Federal Government's allocation to states so as to meet the 40

percent

funding goal for special education programs. In 1975, Congress

passed

the

Education of the Handicapped Act that served as the precursor for the

law

known today as IDEA. The purpose of the law was to ensure that

individuals

with disabilities had access to free and appropriate education. The

act set

a goal for the federal government to provide states with 40 percent

of

the

funding needed for these programs. Today, just 18 of the 40 percent

goal is

federally funded.

Educational programs for children with Autism remain poorly funded

and

under-developed even though autism statistics have skyrocketed from

affecting

one in 10,000 children in 1990 to one in 250 children in the year

2000.

Autism now claims more victims than Down Syndrome, childhood cancer

and

childhood diabetes combined.

IDEA is up for reauthorization in 2002, and leaders of the autism

community

are joining together at the rally in Washington, D.C. on April 21 to

bring

public and legislative attention to their common cause.

In 1997, with the reauthorization of IDEA, funding sadly had not

passed

eight percent.

Since that time, disability groups have joined forces to demand

increases in

funding.

This year's rally is intended to provide education and awareness of

the

issues

so those children receive the services they deserve.

IDEA is important to everyone in every community whether they have a

disability or not. When the U.S. Government does not provide the

necessary

funding to school systems, states and counties are burdened with

generating

these required-by-federal law services. The result is that funds

available

to

all students in the public education system are impacted. It is in

everyone's best interest to see IDEA fully funded.

The April 21 rally kicks off the rally with performances by the band

Jonasay,

a quintet that spent much of 2001 touring with Hootie and the

Blowfish.

A

Jonasay CD will be out in April. Their clean smooth music packs a

punch

that

everyone is sure to enjoy.

The Emcees of the event this year will once again be Jeana ,

vice

president of Unlocking Autism and Jeff Sell and Lee Grossman, both

of

the

Autism Society of America.

Representatives from over 15 different organizations will present a

wide

array educational topics on autism. Among the scheduled speakers are

the

following:

H. Reynolds - President, Unlocking Autism

H. Cale - VicePresident, Unlocking Autism,

Shore, Board Member, Unlocking Autism & Autism Society of

America,

United States Congressman Mike Doyle - Pennsylvania - 18th District,

Weinburg,

Miss - Miss Omaha 2002,

Miss Sherri Grippo - Miss Jefferson County 2002,

Shestack, President & Cofounder, Cure Autism Now

Murray, Founder, Autism Coalition for Research & Education,

Sallie Bernard, Ph.D., SAFE Minds,

Dr. Pratt, Ph.D., Director, Indiana Resource Center for Autism,

Barbara Loe Fisher, President & Cofounder, National Vaccine

Information

Center,

Cliff Shoemaker, J.D., Vaccine Injury Alliance,

Ray Gallup, President, Autism Autoimmunity Project,

April Oakes, President & Founder, Casi's Quest,

Baumann, New York Families of Autistic Children,

Ball, Ed. D.,Vice President, Autism Services, Youth Consultation

Service,

Bill , UA Pennsylvania State Representative,

Beck,

Lassiter, UA Virginia State Representative & President, N.

Virginia

ASA,

Lenny Schafer, Editor, FEAT Online Newsletter

Jeff Bradstreet, M.D., FAAFP, International Child Resource

Development

Ctr.,

and

Murray, Founder, Autism Coalition for Research & Education.

Families are encouraged to participate in the April 21 The Power of

ONE!

IDEA

Rally. Unlocking Autism is planning a day of family fun! For

further

information, visit the Unlocking Autism web site at

www.unlockingautism.org.

Mike Savory

SELf*AWAK(e)A-dvocacy © 2001

" Advocacy With Abundant Keys to

Excellence and Access "

Offering Advocacy in: Community Service,

Student Advocacy, & Facilitation

(Volunteer & Donations)

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Disabilities in daily living.

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