Intro and Welcoming Remarks
The Congressional Briefing began with a welcome from Lisa Goring, Autism Speaks National Director of Family Services, the pledge of allegiance by Shelley Ourian, a young woman with autism, and remarks from the two honorary co-chairs of the briefing, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Congressman Michael Doyle of Pennsylvania.

About Autism and AFAA
Peter Bell, Autism Speaks Executive Vice President of Programs and Services, spoke to the crowd about autism, the needs of the rapidly rising population of adults with autism, and the Advancing Future for Adults with Autism initiative. 

AFAA National Public Policy Agenda
Denise Resnik, Co-Founder and Board Chairman of the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC), announced the AFAA National Public Policy Agenda. The agenda addressed the legislative changes proposed by the AFAA Steering Committee in order to improve the outcomes of adults with autism, based on feedback from the Think Tank and the National Town Hall meeting.

Stakeholder Panel
Linda Walder Fiddle, Founder and Executive Director of The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation, moderated a stakeholder panel – featuring a diverse range of adults on the autism spectrum as well as family members. The panel shed light on the strengths, challenges, complexities and humanity of those most intimately affected by the condition.

Community Life Panel
Peter Gerhardt, President and Chair of the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research, moderated a community life panel which highlighted efforts that should be made so that adults living with autism have the opportunity to be valued, contributing members of their communities.

Employment Panel
Ilene Lainer, Executive Director of the New York Center for Autism. moderated an employment panel, which stressed the importance of implementing employment supports, spreading awareness about the strengths and potential of adults with autism, providing vocational training early on, and increasing the number of job opportunities for adults with autism.

Housing Panel
Mardie Oakes, founding Executive Director of Hallmark Community Solutions, moderated a housing panel, where professionals in various parts of the residential services industry highlighted the incredible need for increased funding and collaboration between agencies to rapidly increase the number of residential opportunities available for adults with autism.

Cross Cutting Issues Panel
Cyndy Hayes, President of Aging with Autism and founder and past President of Global Communities of Support and Reaching Potentials, moderated a cross-cutting issues panel that focused on ways to ensure that adults with autism have access to the building blocks for fulfilling, productive and independent lives through increased funding, trained staff and life skills training.

Concluding Remarks
Lisa Goring makes concluding remarks to emphasize the importance of the AFAA mission, and where we need to go from here to ensure we reach our goal of enhancing the lives of adults living with autism.