Healthcare and Medical News: May Advocacy: Water Safety Month & Advocacy Resources

This May, the Autism Society highlights Water Safety Month. Our water and wandering initiative focuses on proactive programming, prevention, and improved responses to wandering incidents. This initiative is a national effort to increase water safety education and training across the Autism community in order to decrease the tragic loss of life caused by water and wandering-related accidents. This program works to increase water safety skills among Autistic children, teens, adults, and those who support them.

Access Water Safety Resources

The Autism Society of America and the HollyRod Foundation team up to read Holly Robinson Peete’s new children’s book Charlie Makes A Splash, in our upcoming Facebook video on Monday, May 22nd at 2:00 pm EST. This book highlights the benefits of water along with the undeniable need for services and education in the area of water safety, swimming, and wandering within the Autism community. Christopher Banks, President and CEO of the Autism Society of America, joins in this discussion and shares how our water safety resources can be accessed.

The Autism Society of America has released an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) resource. This resource provides neutral, unbiased information that families and caregivers can use to better understand their options when making decisions about whether ABA is right for them. To develop this resource, the Autism Society spent over 18 months working with a diverse group of Autistic individuals, family members and caregivers, and professionals with direct experience with ABA. Learn more about our ABA Commission, the development process, goals, and resources here.

The Autism Society of America along with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities created an advocacy toolkit for debt ceiling negotiations and Medicaid to prevent budget cuts. This resource provides actionable steps to take using our Action Center, scripts to reference when contacting Congress, and information on setting up district office meetings.

This week's issue of Capitol Connection discusses the debt ceiling guide, administrative updates, and news on an advocacy win in South Carolina. Read more here.