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ASAN July Newsletter
A birds eye view of teal waves washing onto a sandy beach [[link removed]]
Dear friends,
As Disability Pride Month, July is always both a celebration and a reminder. We commemorated the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark civil rights bill for the disability community. We were also reminded of how far we still have to go to achieve true equality, safety and justice for disabled people. As we head into August, we’re determined to keep working to make the promise of the ADA a reality ⁠— we hope you’ll join us.
After last month’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning fundamental rights of bodily autonomy and self-determination, we mobilized to protect people with disabilities against the many direct and ripple effects this decision will have. [[link removed]] Our policy team hosted three webinars to help everyone understand what’s going on and why it matters. You can check out these webinars on YouTube here! [[link removed]]
We released a statement [[link removed]] regarding important new guidance on the rights of students with disabilities. The much-needed clarifications in the guidance are critical for students who might otherwise face discrimination and be excluded from schools because of behavior related to their disabilities.We also sent comments to the Department of Education [[link removed]] regarding proposed amendments to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, along with co-authoring comments on 504 for the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities. [[link removed]] ASAN policy staff also attended the July session of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). Committee members used the two-day session to review a draft strategic plan, which is required by the charter that established IACC. The committee will most likely vote on the proposed draft the next time they meet, in October.
July has been a month of nonstop advocacy on countless fronts. In addition to hosting our third virtual Autism Campus Inclusion [[link removed]] Leadership Academy this month, we’ve been fighting for a better world for our community in so many different ways — and so have you! Thank you for joining us in calling for the Senate to #StopTheShock. With a coalition of national disability organizations, we submitted a letter of support [[link removed]] , calling on Senators to pass a ban on the device. It has been a long, difficult battle to end electric shocks for behavior modification and the fight is not over. But when you make calls, you get us closer than ever! Let’s keep placing pressure on our Senators to get this bill across the finish line. [[link removed]]
All of our advocacy work is made possible by the ASAN community, including the support of our members. Your donations throughout the year allow us to keep up the fight for disability rights! Signing up for an ASAN membership is easy, quick, and comes with options for a variety of budgets. Interested in becoming a member? Check it out here! [[link removed]] We also have scholarship memberships for self advocates who cannot afford to give.
Even during the most difficult times, your advocacy makes progress possible. As always, we encourage all of you to take care of yourselves as well as each other, and to stay safe as we enter the second half of this year.
Wishing you all the best,
The ASAN Team
There are many different parts of policy that go unrecognized! Here’s some of the smaller, but no less important, things our policy team has been up to this month:
- Co-authored a report for the United Nations on the intersection of racial, gender, and disability justice
- Signed on to a letter from the Drug Policy Alliance to call for a lift on the lifetime ban on benefits like SNAP for people with drug convictions
- Joined a sign-on letter demanding platforms address widespread medical disinformation about abortion

Behind the Scenes at Autism Campus Inclusion!
​​ This section of the newsletter is usually reserved just for members [[link removed]] , but we decided to share it with everyone as a special treat!
This past month marked our third virtual and 10th overall Autism Campus Inclusion summer leadership academy! While we hope to be in person again soon, our virtual format allows us to bring in disability advocates and activists from all over for panels and sessions. Selected students come from all over the US and Canada to learn and hone leadership skills, community building, legislative policy advocacy, and more. We have a commitment to making as diverse a class as possible, centering people of color, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and nonspeakers or AAC users. This year, over half of the cohort were autistic people of color.
For many participants, it’s the first time they’ve experienced autistic space: the freedom to stim and move however needed, the freedom to unmask or not be “on” all the time, the freedom to share what they’re interested in and listen to others do the same! It’s consistently one of our participants’ favorite parts - and an important part of what they learn to bring back to their campuses. After the Academy, we check in with participants four times a year to provide ongoing technical support and advice on making their goals reality.
Here’s what a typical ACI day looks like for staff and students:
11am: Staff check-in to review the day’s activities and what they need to do to make sure everything runs smoothly. Most ACI staff are also ASAN staff, but we also bring in a few ACI alums!
Noon: The first session! Sessions are about two hours, with plenty of long and short breaks. Presentations can be anything from understanding legislative policy to building strategic relationships and communities. Most are interactive so students can get hands-on experience with issues that may come up on campus.
2pm: A break for lunch - time zones mean that some staff in Eastern Time have a pretty late lunch, but we can’t start too early with participants on the West Coast! During lunch and all throughout the day, students can chat in an ACI-specific Discord, sharing resources and thoughts. Some group work during sessions also happens in Discord.
3:30pm: The second session kicks off. In addition to the formal presentations, we’ve also started to include two sessions called AUT, or “ask us things” - an informal chance to chat with staff about anything from autistic advocacy to our own college experiences.
6pm: Another staff meeting to wrap up, review the day, and get ready to do it all again!
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autisticadvocacy.org/2022/06/action-alert-congress-has-the-power-to-stoptheshock/ [autisticadvocacy.org/2022/06/action-alert-congress-has-the-power-to-stoptheshock/]
A Letter of Support for Legislation Banning Electric Stimulation Devices [[link removed]]
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Important New Guidance on the Rights of Students with Disabilities [[link removed]]
autisticadvocacy.org/2022/06/action-alert-congress-has-the-power-to-stoptheshock/ [autisticadvocacy.org/2022/06/action-alert-congress-has-the-power-to-stoptheshock/]
Action Alert: Congress has the power to #StopTheShock! [[link removed]]
autisticadvocacy.org/2022/06/asan-statement-on-the-bipartisan-safer-communities-act/ [autisticadvocacy.org/2022/06/asan-statement-on-the-bipartisan-safer-communities-act/]
ASAN Comments on proposed 504 changes [[link removed] Self Advocacy Network Comments Re: Department of Education’s Proposed Amendments to Regulations Implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973]
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
PO Box 66122
Washington, DC 20035
United States
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