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ASAN March Newsletter
Cherry blossom branches at the Tidal Basin [[link removed]]
Dear friend,
With new resources, new opportunities, and new ways our community is supporting our work, we’re celebrating the newness of spring here at ASAN! Check out what we’ve been up to this month and how we’re ushering in the next one.
We started the month on a somber note with our annual Disability Day of Mourning. Our community came together with vigils across the country and the world to remember those we’ve lost to filicide, or the murder of a family member. You can read more about our DC vigil, virtual vigil, and the many other vigils here. [[link removed]]
On March 17th, the Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule went into effect. This Rule is all about our right to receive services that are truly community-based and that respect our rights, rather than being stuck in “institutions in disguise.” It’s important to know your rights so you can make full use of them! That’s why we have released new plain language and Easy Read resources all about the Settings Rule. We have also updated our previous resources on the Rule to make sure they are still helpful! Check out our resources on the Settings Rule here. [[link removed]] We also hosted a webinar to talk about how the HCBS Settings Rule can protect our rights around long term services and support in our homes and communities. You can check out the webinar here. [[link removed]]
This month also marked the release of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network report, which we responded to here. [[link removed]] The report shows that better recognition of autism and continued efforts to reduce racial and gender disparities have caused rates of diagnosis to continue to rise. However, there is still more work to do to address the remaining disparities in diagnosis.
In an increasingly transphobic legislative climate, we also have work to do to prevent autism diagnoses from being used to deny gender-affirming care. ASAN released a statement [[link removed]] condemning Georgia Bill SB140 and other attempts to deny gender-affirming health care to young transgender people, sometimes especially to those who are also autistic or have other disabilities. We are deeply troubled by any use of autism as a justification for transphobic efforts that would create barriers to care.
With meetings four times a year, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee or IACC will meet in early April. We submitted comments [[link removed]] for this April meeting updating IACC about the #StopTheShock efforts and encouraging them to take an active role in that and in guiding the implementation of the HCBS Settings Rule. We also supported the reintroduction of the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA). TCIEA would end subminimum wage for disabled people over the next five years.
We had five charity runners in the United Airlines NYC half marathon on Sunday the 19th, and all five finished! They also raised $6,924 for us! Our next race fundraising event is the 2023 Marine Corps Marathon [[link removed]] ! If you’d like to run for ASAN, contact [email protected] [[email protected]] .
We’re also celebrating everyone who supported us in our 2022 end-of-the-year giving campaign with our promised phone smash video! This is a callback to one of our earlier GivingTuesday campaigns. It’s no secret that many autistic folks hate making phone calls, and the ASAN office is no different! So we took it into our own hands… check out what we came up with here! [[link removed]]
As we say goodbye to March and welcome Autism Acceptance Month, we have so many good things in store for you and our community to celebrate acceptance, accessibility, and neurodiversity! Your continued support makes our work this month — and every month — possible. Thank you for everything you do to make sure that when it comes to the policies that affect our lives, there will be nothing about us, without us!
In solidarity,
The Team at ASAN

This was a busy month on the policy side! This March, we:
Submitted written testimony [[link removed]] about the Autism Services Branch proposed in the state of California’s budget. The proposal’s approach to services is harmful and should not be allowed to proceed without input from the autistic community.
Fought against the Drug Enforcement Administration’s proposed restrictions on telemedicine [[link removed]] including limiting Schedule II meds, such as ADHD meds including Ritalin and Adderall, to in-person visits for prescriptions, through submitting public comments.
Supported the Safe Equitable Campus Resources and Education (SECuRE) Act [[link removed]], which makes improvements to previous legislation to ensure the needs of people with disabilities are included in campus planning and response to incidents of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.
Joined a coalition of civil and human rights organizations in support of including improvements to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the 2023 Farm Bill.

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New HCBS Settings Rule Resources [[link removed]]
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ASAN Statement on Updated Autism Diagnosis Numbers [[link removed]]
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Reflections on Disability Day of Mourning 2023 [[link removed]]
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ASAN condemns restrictions on gender-affirming care [[link removed]]
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
PO Box 66122
Washington, DC 20035
United States
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