April has been designated as a month to celebrate and campaign for autism acceptance since the 1970s. As part of OAR’s April activities, we are hosting a four-part webinar series on the themes of sexuality and relationships. Conversations about sexuality and relationships are needed just as much in the autistic community as they are in…
OAR’s 2023 Youth Art Contest is officially open for submissions. The theme for the third annual contest is “community.” We look forward to seeing what community looks like through the eyes of children and youth. This will be their opportunity to tell a story about community in as abstract or literal sense as they would…
As we celebrate the beginning of a new year, OAR is also looking ahead to the ambitious goals it has set for 2023, including goals for Autism Acceptance Month. Join us to promote autism awareness and acceptance across the autism community. Goal 1: Support the autism community with information resources (autistics, families, educators, professionals). OAR’s…
A new year means new job seekers eager to secure part-time and full-time employment opportunities. With the help of our navigators, job seekers gain new confidence and skills to prepare them for their job search. Five talented volunteers completed their training in January to become Hire Autism’s newest navigators. Please congratulate Rebecca Winfield, Ben Malecki,…
Twenty-one years ago, a group of parents and grandparents of autistic children founded OAR. Since then, our focus has primarily been on resources to support those families, educators, and other caregivers. As the autism community has grown and changed, so has OAR and the resources we offer the autistic community. In the past few years,…
Brittany Spence, OAR’s new Hire Autism associate, joined the staff at the end of November. Spence’s primary roles include recruiting, training, and managing volunteer navigators and monitoring communication with Hire Autism job seekers. Navigators are volunteers who work one-on-one with job seekers on aspects of the job search, including creating a resume, writing cover letters, and preparing for…
This fall, OAR set a goal of distributing 10,000 print and digital copies of our information resources through our Higher Education on the Spectrum campaign aimed at reaching autistic college students, professors, university staff, and parents. We surpassed this goal by the end of the campaign, distributing a total of 13,821 resources related to academics,…
OAR is delighted to announce seven new research grants from the 2022 Applied Research Competition. These new grants, which total $276,212, brings OAR’s all-time total research funding to more than $4.74 million since 2002. The competition opened last December. OAR received 123 pre-proposals and subsequently invited 45 applicants to submit full proposals. From the full…
OAR’s fall webinars focused on skills needed for the transition to adulthood. Presenters offered practical strategies, tools, and support plans that parents, professionals, and employers can use to help autistic young adults achieve their goals. Carmen Izurieta, M.Ed. from College Living Experience discussed the skills that are necessary for autistic young adults to succeed in…
OAR has been recognized as a “top-rated” nonprofit organization for the 13th year in a row by the major charity-rating website, GreatNonprofits. GreatNonprofits provides a platform for community members to provide firsthand testimonials about the impact of nonprofit organizations. OAR’s “top-rated” recognition is based on reviews by OAR friends, volunteers, and community partners who provided…
