News and Knowledge

Last month, OAR unveiled the goals of its annual National Autism Awareness Month Campaign. With your help, OAR hopes to accomplish the following:

• Educate youth across the globe about their peers with autism.
• Empower the autism community with informational resources.
• Support autism siblings with resources for kids, teens, and parents.
• Recruit volunteers to expand and support OAR’s ongoing initiatives.
• Support adults in the autism community through Hire Autism, a website that connects job seekers with autism in the Northern Virginia area with local employment opportunities.
• Recruit runners to help raise money for new research and resources.

April is just around the corner, so here’s what you can expect from OAR leading up to, during, and beyond Autism Awareness month.

Expand the Autism in the Schoolhouse initiative to teach more than 8,000 students about autism

Next month, OAR will launch an online peer education resource, Autism Tuned In, as part of its Autism in the Schoolhouse The e-learning website is an online variant of the popular Kit for Kids program that revolves around the “What’s Up with Nick?” story. It will include eight animated videos and activities that reinforce student learning of autism in a fun and engaging way. The new resource will be accessible by educators and students across the globe. OAR plans to reach more than 8,000 students by the end of April by promoting the Kit for Kids program and Autism Tuned In website among conference partners, educators, and statewide autism technology and resource centers. If you know anyone who may be interested in getting early access to the website or ordering the Kit for Kids program, please contact programs@researchautism.org or call 703-243-9762.

Distribute 6,000 Life Journey through Autism series guidebooks and 1,600 siblings guidebooks

OAR will distribute informational resources to support parents, siblings, educators, professionals, and self-advocates to help answer their everyday questions related to safety, transitions, and more. Since January, OAR has been sending weekly email and social media reminders about available resources and working with conference partners to help distribute guidebooks. If you know of any local support groups, families, schools, organizations, sibshops, or first responders, please share the guidebooks with them. OAR will also provide in-kind donations of A Guide to Safety to autism conferences, events, and workshops upon request. All bulk order requests can be sent to programs@researchautism.org.

Engage 30 volunteers to support OAR’s ongoing initiatives

Earlier this month, OAR revamped the volunteer program in order to streamline and expedite the online application process. Now, interested applicants can sign up online and track their volunteer hours to receive official credit for their service. Find out more about the program and how to get involved. Inquiries can also be sent to volunteer@researchautism.org.

Engage five employers and 50 Hire Autism users

OAR’s newest initiative, Hire Autism, will continue to connect with Northern Virginia businesses to increase the number of job opportunities available on the jobs portal in addition to attracting new job seekers. The site provides a user-friendly account creation process. Once an account is created, employers can post jobs and review the resumes of registered candidates. Job seekers can create their unique profile as well as browse and apply for jobs. Additional business-related resources are available for employers and applicants alike. If you know of any businesses or job seekers in Northern Virginia that might be interested, please share OAR’s informational brochure. If you are interested in writing about adult employment, please consider contributing to the Hire Autism blog. To learn more about how you can get involved or request brochures and other Hire Autism promotional materials to share, contact info@hireautism.org.

Recruit 30 DIY athletes and runners to raise $10,000 by the end of April

DIY Athletic Events offers the opportunity for OAR runners to participate in any run, walk, triathlon, or any other athletic event anywhere, anytime, at any distance. During the month of April, OAR has set a goal of having 30 DIY athletes participate in a local race of their choice and for the DIY Athletic Events team to raise $10,000 by the end of the month. To learn more about how to get involved with our DIY program or any of our featured RUN FOR AUTISM events, contact run@researchautism.org.

How are you celebrating National Autism Awareness Month? Whether you’re starting a peer education program at your local school, fundraising for autism research through a bake sale, or doing something else in your community, OAR wants to hear about your efforts! Email us your success stories and pictures to programs@researchautism.org or share them on our Facebook page.