New! Autism Speaks, Managing Partner of AFAA, has just announced the launch of their Housing and Residential Supports Portal and Tool Kit, a new online tool offering reliable, actionable information to help secure appropriate residential supports and services for adults with autism! To visit the web portal, click here. Read the new tool kit here. Federal Housing and Urban Development Funding Allocations Announced HHS and FDA to Host Virtual Hiring Event November 3 President Obama issue a proclamation in recognition National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is October. Read the proclamation here. Spotlight on AFAA Steering Committee Member Linda Walder Fiddle from New Jersey Monthly: **US Labor Department awards more than $21 million in Disability Employment Initiative funding to 7 states! Click here to read more! **Click here to read Autism Speaks Executive Vice President Peter Bell's NJ Spotlight essay: A Vision for New Jersey's Autism Community. The Final Report from the AFAA Congressional Briefing is now available! Click here to read about the briefing that took place in Washington, DC in July 2010. Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism (AFAA) is a national consortium seeking to create meaningful futures for adults with autism that include homes, jobs, recreation, friends and supportive communities. President Obama’s Federal Budget for the Fiscal Year 2012 allocated funding to various programs and initiatives designed to help “Win the Future for People with Disabilities." These proposals include: expanding autism research, increasing support for workers with disabilities, and expanding funding for the education of children with disabilities. Click here to read more. On July 15th, 2010, AFAA hosted a Congressional briefing in Washington, DC that brought together federal legislators, national policymakers and advocates for adults with autism – including individuals who have autism – to discuss priorities for action in the public and private sectors that address the increasing and unmet demand for effective services for adolescents and adults with the disorder. Click here to learn more about the Congressional briefing. Below is a preview clip that includes the highlights of the briefing. To view more videos from the Congressional Briefing, including videos of each of the panels and remarks from the honorary co-chairs, Senator Robert Menendez and Congressman Mike Doyle, please see the Congressional Briefing Videos page. To read about Joey Rosenbloom, a young man with autism who testified at the briefing, visit the Autism Speaks blog. Click here to view the legislative agenda proposed by AFAA at the Congressional Briefing on July 15th. On November 13th, 2009, Americans came together across 16 sites to create a policy agenda for addressing the needs of adults with autism. AFAA has just released the executive summary from the National Town Hall, which will serve as a guide for the Congressional briefing. The executive summary features feedback and input from the National Town Hall participants and strategies to address needs in four critical areas: housing, employment, community life and cross-cutting strategies. It also includes a five-year vision for each focus area. **Click here to view the Executive Summary of the National Town Hall!** You can also view the preliminary report of the general themes, discussions and statistics that came out of the National Town Hall here. This unique national consortium has united to set national priorities for adults on the autism spectrum and to transform public policy and programming for teens and adults with autism spectrum disorders.
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Questions? Contact us at AFAA@autismspeaks.org or (917) 475-5059
