OARacle Newsletter

This spring, OAR awarded $28,258 to support 10 peer education grants through its Peer Education Grant Program. With these grants, OAR has helped educate more than 193,000 children through the Kit for Kids since 2012. The grant program seeks to support projects that have the goal of promoting autism awareness and acceptance among K-12 public schools, nonprofits, communities, and libraries using OAR’s Kit for Kids peer education resources. 

Congratulations to these newest 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.

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. 

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. 

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.

Submit an Application

Youth group organizers, parents, autism professionals, teachers, and administrators are eligible to apply for a grant ranging from $500 to $5,000, while school district-wide initiatives are eligible to apply for a grant up to $10,000. The next application period begins on April 15, 2024, for projects starting as early as September 1, 2024. Applications are due on June 24, 2024.

OAR supports projects that use the Kit for Kids materials and the Autism Tuned In program to increase autism awareness and acceptance. Example projects include awareness campaigns, workshops, and presentations. Eligible expenses include but are not limited to OAR’s peer education materials, print costs, honorariums and travel expenses for guest speakers, venue rental, and refreshments.

For questions or comments, contact OAR at programs @ researchautism.org