Our policy team has been fighting long and hard this year as our community has seen old lies threaten the rights and safety of autistic people. From blatant misinformation about safe, tested medications and vaccines, [[link removed]] to attempts to break apart the Department of Education [[link removed]], 2025 has been filled with attacks on our community.

On some fronts, like the fight to protect Medicaid from the biggest cuts in history [[link removed]], Congress did not listen to their constituents. The government choosing to cut important health care funding is a violent act against many vulnerable people.

But all is not lost. We are working with self-advocates on the state level and this year have held webinars [[link removed]] and released plain language resources to make sure people with IDD know how these changes will affect their health care. Your support [[link removed]] helps put tools in the hands of self-advocates, so everyone in our community can know their rights and prepare for upcoming policy changes.

Medicaid cuts were not the only attack on health care this year. We have spent 2025 in a tug of war with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over how autism should be talked about in the media and in research. When government officials say publicly that “autism destroys families” and that our lives are tragedies, we have pushed back in our advocacy and in the media. Between false claims about acetaminophen and dragging dusty old lies about vaccines from the closet, HHS has gone from a protector of health and human services to a menace. And now HHS has its eyes on education.

Our policy team has spent 2025 fighting alongside our allies to protect the Department of Education and prevent IDEA from being moved over to HHS. [[link removed]] HHS has no business managing special education. Along with the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities, ASAN demands [[link removed]] that the Department of Education be saved. As the federal government has moved to break up the Department of Education, our policy team has rallied our community to fight back and protect special education. [[link removed]]

ASAN has also been fighting to protect gender-affirming care against a rise in policies that block care for the transgender community [[link removed]]. We continue to fight in solidarity with the transgender community and remind the world that people with IDD know who we are and can make decisions about our bodies.

The challenges 2025 has brought to the table have been constant, but so has our resistance — and we have no intention of letting up in 2026. This work would not be possible without your support. [[link removed]] We’ll face just as many attacks on the autistic community in 2026, so we need your help to start the year strong!

Your support puts important tools into the hands of self-advocates, gives our policy team the resources they need to defend our community and fight alongside our allies, and combats misinformation.

Want to support us? Here are some ways you can help us continue this important work:

* Donate to us directly here [[link removed]]
* Or become a member and get exclusive perks here [[link removed]]
* Start a Facebook fundraiser [[link removed]] at no cost to you, and share with friends
* Buy a copy of Loud Hands or another one of our books here [[link removed]]
* Get some holiday merch from our Threadless shop [[link removed]]
* Spread the word about us! You can tell your friends about us on social media, via email, or in person


Autistic Self Advocacy Network
PO Box 66122
Washington, DC 20035
United States
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