April is Dedicated to Celebrating People with Autism

By Teresa Anderson, Public Policy Director, The Arc/UCP California Collaboration

Last year the Autism Society of America, along with leading disability organizations, announced a formal shift in the reference of “Autism Awareness Month” to “Autism Acceptance Month”. Autism Speaks and other disability organizations celebrate “Autism Month” and recognize April 2nd as “Autism Awareness Day”. There are also many organizations that recognize and celebrate April as “Autism Awareness Month”.

When I first began reading about the differences in the messages I was concerned that highlighting one would unintentionally diminish the other and that is definitely something I want to avoid. Ultimately, the way you as an individual with autism, a family member, friend, service provider, or anyone else, chose to recognize and/or celebrate autism, is your choice. The important thing is that we all take the time to recognize and advocate for polices, and practices that value inclusion in everyday life for people with autism. To learn more about any of the organizations above or their initiatives visit the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee: https://iacc.hhs.gov/meetings/autism-awareness-month/2022/