Press Release

Arlington, VA, April 5, 2024  – The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is excited to announce the recipients of its spring 2024 Peer Education Grant competition. This cycle, OAR is awarding eight grants totaling $28,258.50 to teach nearly 5,000 students about autism.

Since 2012, OAR has helped educate more than 194,000 students and peers about autism through the Kit for Kids peer education program. OAR continues its commitment to educating students by awarding grants ranging from $500 – $5,000 through this program. The successfully funded projects will be led by teachers, administrators, parents, youth group organizers, and autism professionals who plan to teach today’s youth about autism in school or other community-based settings.

Congratulations to the 10 grant recipients!

Kayla Andreazza and Kelly McEvoy
Empathy for the Spectrum
Copeland Middle School, Rockaway Township, New Jersey
The Empathy for the Spectrum initiative aims to show Copeland Middle School students the importance of embracing and celebrating neurodiversity rather than stigmatizing it. Andreazza and McEvoy have planned a program dedicated to fostering a more inclusive and empathetic learning environment for autistic students at the school while continuing educational and social experiences through OAR materials, as well as encouraging neurotypical students to create compassionate and meaningful connections with autistic peers.

Kristen Ashworth Sutton
SuperSTAR Friends
Chatham Elementary School, Chatham, Virginia
Sutton will lead the county-wide program to engage and educate neurotypical students about their autistic peers through the Kit for Kids materials and help raise awareness, acceptance, and kindness within their school community.

Massia Bailey
“We All Belong”
Pasadena Lakes Elementary, Pembroke Pines, Florida
Bailey and the teachers at Pasadena Lake Elementary intend to make Pasadena Lakes’ “We All Belong” statement of inclusion a reality for the whole school community. They will foster a supportive and inclusive environment so that autistic students feel valued, understood, and empowered, using the Kit for Kids program. By exposing the general education and faculty population to the characteristics and needs of autistic students, the team strives to promote equity and empathy, celebrate diversity, and enhance the sense of belonging for all students despite differences.

Tara Benitez
ASD Horizon Program: Autism Awareness Month Celebration
P.S. 307 Daniel Hale Williams School, Brooklyn, New York
P.S. 307 faculty will host a community autism run/walk, coordinated by Benitez. A few weeks later, they will use OAR materials to educate students about autism. The goal of these events is to educate the whole community and the school’s neurotypical students about autism and encourage acceptance and inclusion.

Kathy Collins
Celebrating Neurodiversity, Building Bonds with our Friends
Vincennes Community School Corporation, Vincennes, Indiana
Collins will use the Kit for Kids materials in schools across the district to celebrate neurodiversity during National Autism Acceptance Month. Students will be encouraged to engage with their autistic peers in healthier ways while also developing genuine friendships with one another.

Stephanie Nordin
Happiness Unveiled: Fostering Autism Awareness and Acceptance in Collier County Communities
Autism Collier, Naples, Florida
Led by Nordin, the Autism Collier team will teach children about autism to foster a more accepting and supportive society for autistic individuals and their families. Nordin, a mother of autistic kids, offers invaluable insight into the challenges faced by individuals with autism and the importance of fostering understanding and inclusion from a young age.

Tallie Paz
Autism – What’s Your Superpower?
Valley View Elementary School, Wadsworth, Ohio
Paz will use OAR resources for a “More Alike Than Different” day. On that day, students will rotate through classrooms to learn about disabilities through activities. Teachers will use the lesson plan, among other Kit for Kids materials, for their stations on autism. Given the material, Paz and the teachers aim to foster compassion and acceptance in their students.

Donna Rizzo
Autism – What’s Your Superpower?
P.S 249 The Caton School, Brooklyn, New York
Rizzo and the teachers at P.S 249 plan to hold an Autism Awareness Week that includes an assembly of students and a guest speaker who is an expert in autism and can share real-life events and experiences to promote knowledge and understanding.

Brandon Scarborough
Dreams Academy/Queens Academy
Dreams Academy, Akron, Ohio
Scarborough will lead educational sessions for students to explain what autism and other neurodiversities are, raise awareness, and foster acceptance and compassion. Invited facilitators and speakers will discuss related topics and lead activities to engage students.

Vicky Vu
B.R.A.I.N. Big and Little Buddy Program
Weaver Elementary School, Los Alamitos, California
Vu will use the Kit for Kids materials to support and expand the B.R.A.I.N after-school program at Weaver Elementary. With the help of faculty, this initiative will continue building respect for autism inclusivity, teaching neurotypical students strategies to effectively and compassionately engage with their autistic peers.

For inquiries regarding the Peer Education Grant program or for more information on the next grant cycle, please visit the website or contact OAR at 571-977-5391; e-mail programs@researchautism.org.

About OAR: The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is a national non-profit organization formed and led by relatives of children and adults with autism. OAR is dedicated to promoting research that can be applied to help families, educators, caregivers, and individuals with autism find much-needed answers to their immediate and urgent questions. Learn more at www.researchautism.org.