As school closures and other public health measures due to the pandemic continue across the country, so too do the effects on special education. A ParentTogether Action survey found that in the spring, more than half (59%) of students with disabilities were receiving only some or none of the services to which they were entitled,…
OAR has expanded its commitment to peer education by awarding grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 to support projects that promote autism awareness and acceptance. When children understand autism, they develop better relationships with their autistic peers. OAR has helped educate more than 135,000 children through the Kit for Kids Peer Education Program since 2012…
As classrooms, organizations, and individuals around the country gear up for National Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month in April, they now have access to a high-quality resource: OAR’s Friendship Tip Sheets, released in December. Available online or in hard copy through our store, the tip sheets can help typical kids be understanding, supportive friends to…
When we think of the self-advocacy movement, we think of people with disabilities being in control of their lives, making decisions, and directing their life story. However, many self-advocates say that they don’t get the same support regarding sexuality and relationships as they do when they say they want to get a job or to…
This blog post has been adapted from “Chapter Four: Advocating for Your Child” of OAR’s resource “Navigating the Special Education System”. As many parents of autistic children know from personal experience, it takes more time and consideration to navigate the special education system than it does to send a neurotypical child to school. Some families…
It’s fun for students to learn about their classmates using the Kit for Kids peer education program. Now that fun is more easily available! For the first time, OAR’s Kit for Kids activity workbooks can be ordered as paperbacks. First created as a digital download in 2013, the activity workbooks are organized by grade levels…
OAR has expanded its commitment to peer education by awarding grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 to support projects that promote autism awareness and acceptance. When children understand autism, they develop better relationships with their peers with the disorder. OAR has helped educate more than 135,000 children through the Kit for Kids Peer Education Program…
Growing up, school for me was, in a word, difficult. I knew this ever since about fifth grade when I first began receiving actual homework. Sure, it was an easy and kind of fun homework, a weekly packet with a word search at the end, but somehow something as simple as that couldn’t capture my…
OAR will soon open applications for the 2021 OAR Scholarship Program. The application period will begin on Monday, December 7, 2020, and applications will be accepted until Monday, May 3, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applicants can apply to either the Schwallie Family Scholarship or the Lisa Higgins Hussman Scholarship. Each offers $3,000 scholarships to…
Everyone likes to have friends. For autistic kids, making friends often is not easy. Conversely, for their typical peers, getting to know autistic kids can be hard. In an effort to reduce those barriers, OAR is releasing a series of one-page friendship tip sheets is geared towards helping non-autistic kids be understanding, supportive friends to…
