District Advocacy Autism Speaks Chair people needed

During April Autism Awareness month, many parents of children on the spectrum were hearing about new statistics of 1 in 50 children that are now being diagnosed with autism. That people need to be aware of the ever increasing amount of children and adults with autism that need understanding and help to have a happy and productive life, when such things as medical insurance, education, job training, housing for people with developmental disabilities, to name a few things, is nowhere near meeting the demand and needs of an exploding population of people with Autism.

With that in mind, Autism Speaks is looking for advocates in
Congressional Districts in the state, to at first call on Congressmen and women
to advocate for federal legislation that is important to families with children
and adults on the autism spectrum and Autism Speaks, then eventually call on
state legislators to promote and advocate state based initiatives in the
future. District advocates would be also in charge of grass roots development of
improving autism awareness and support to help improve education and services
for people with autism, by their efforts in getting involved in the community.

We are presently looking for district advocates to be part of our Autism Congress in the 1^st and downstate legislative districts. If you are interested, have experience with working in your community, have talked with your legislative representatives in the past or want to in the future and have a connection with autism. Please email me at mbaker721@comcast.net to show your interest and to talk further.

Mike Baker

Autism Speaks