News and Knowledge

Thanks to the collective support of donors, volunteers, runners, educators, and autism professionals like you, OAR is excited to announce that it has already exceeded many of its campaign goals for April 2018. Here is a recap of this year’s objectives and what we have achieved so far:

• At the beginning of the year, we sought to teach 9,000 general education students in grades K-8 about autism using the Kit for Kids peer education program and Autism Tuned In Since January, OAR has exceeded this goal by more than 1,000 students. Thank you to everyone who spearheaded their own education initiatives! With your support, children across America are more understanding and accepting of their peers with autism.
• We also endeavored to equip the autism community with 5,500 “Life Journey Through Autism” guides to support their immediate safety, transitions, self-advocacy, research, and professional development training needs. OAR has distributed more than 6,000 guidebooks during this campaign and will continue to deliver more through the month of May and beyond.
• We wanted to offer sibling support by sharing 1,800 sibling guides with families and sibling workshops across the nation. Written by siblings, these guides serve to help families process and cope with the challenges of autism while productively addressing issues of fairness, meltdowns, and more. Since January, more than 2,280 copies have reached the bookshelves belonging to parents, siblings, and workshop facilitators.
• We set a goal of helping five job seekers with autism find meaningful employment through the Hire Autism employment initiative. Since January, OAR has helped nine individuals on the spectrum secure jobs. If you live in the Northern Virginia area, you can participate in Hire Autism as a job seeker or employer.
• We set an ambitious goal to raise more than $100,000 during the month of April through the RUN FOR AUTISM program to support research and education, after having surpassed our original $15,000 goal for the DIY RUN FOR AUTISM program earlier in the year. So far, the RUN program has raised more than $68,000. A final update will appear in next month’s issue.

Final campaign results will be shared in next month’s issue. Stay actively engaged by volunteering with us over the summer, when we plan to prepare for next year’s outreach campaign. If you are interested in contributing new ideas, feedback, or suggestions, contact us at programs@researchautism.org or 703-243-9762.

Be a Catalyst for Change

Much of OAR’s success is a reflection of the commitment and hard work of its volunteers, donors, and followers.  Our impact is magnified when entire organizations participate. These types of grassroots efforts typically start with one individual or group that commits to making autism a priority. You can continue or start to be that catalyst for change. Join us throughout the year as we continue to serve the autism community across the nation.

Share Your Photos

We want to know how you participated in National Autism Awareness Month. Email your stories and pictures to programs@researchautism.org or share them on OAR’s Facebook page. OAR is looking for both candid and posed photos of parents, self-advocates, children of all ages, siblings, grandparents, friends, and teachers. Be sure to provide written permission for OAR’s use of the photos you submit.