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Summer 2018 Newsletter
President's Message
Yes it's June but we are already in the throes of planning our annual conference, which will take place
Saturday, November 17, 2018 at Stanford. We welcome submissions here and you'll find detailsbelow. Registration opens in September.... A big welcome to our newest board
members Mawuko Nyuiadzi and Michelle Condit, and please meet all our wonderful SFASA leaders on
our website here.... April was packed with awareness activities, and let me share some examples. Board
member Stephen Prutsman presented on awareness and acceptance to hundreds of SF middle
schoolers. We hosted an "Evening with Alycia Halladay, PhD," Chief Science Officer of Autism Science
Foundation, who provided an update on the latest research. A lively crowd grooved at our Dance-a-thonfor Autism on April 14 (pics below).
I had the pleasure of joining Swathi Haragopalon the Autism Awareness radio show (right) and
you can hear our conversation here. Thanks to
Brad Goldberg of Vault 164 Restaurant and Bar
in San Mateo for hosting another wonderful
fundraising awareness day. And to Spectrum at
Cal (UC Berkeley) for its awareness event.
SFASA VP Feda Almaliti also increased awareness of the importance of moms with her
#AutismMomsLivesMatter presentations in Fremont and at the SELPA conference in Sacramento.
SFASA Secretary Cristina Moretto and her son
Justin attended the Rowell Ranch Rodeo (left)
where even cowboys honored our autism
community and SFASA received with a generous
donation from their fundraiser. And finally, Feda
and I made autism awareness presentations all
around the Bay Area, including public agencies
(thanks Caltrans for wanting to learn more about
our population), employers (thanks MonolithMaterials team for putting in 10k steps a day to
support autism) and schools.
Board member Connie Boyar Frenzel and
committee member Anna Wang of Friends ofChildren with Special Needs traveled to
Sacramento to help educate policymakers about
issues affecting our community, including how
rules for overtime, local minimum wage
requirements, and the state median rate rule
combine to sabotage community programs—our service providers' actual operating costsexceed what the system allows.
FCSN has chartered a bus to attend the Disability Capitol Action Day on Thursday June 7. Contact
FCSN to join them and advocate for the special needs community. Free round trip bus trip and lunch.
California shuttered its institutions on the promise that DD services would be provided in our communities.
But every day that promise is looking more like a bait and switch. And as Michelle Condit reports below,
the Sonoma Developmental Center sale proceeds will be diverted away from community care.
We also thank San Andreas Regional Centerfor its annual legislative lunch, and director
Javier Zaldivar's emphasis (his slide at right)
that the autism bubble is
imposing unprecedented challenges to our
system, necessitating reforms to address the
burgeoning need.
VP Feda joined advocates to plan an upcoming
disability awareness game with the Warriors(left). Please follow us on Facebook for more
news and event announcements (summerhighlights are below, and more to come). And
please continue sending your news to
[email protected]. And finally, Go Dubs!
—Jill Escher, president, Autism Society San
Francisco Bay Area
Proposals now being accepted for the SFASA November17, 2018 conference
This year's Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area conference will be heldSaturday, November 17, 2018 from 8am-5pm at Stanford University's LKS Center. We are currently accepting proposals for our conference, which will feature information onday programs, employment, financial and estate planning, housing, health care,government benefits, policy and other issues. Our conferences are geared toward theinformation needs of parents and caregivers of older teens and adults with autism andrelated developmental disabilities. Formats include: general sessions, breakout sessions,information tables (sponsors only) and discussion groups. We expect 40-50 speakers and400-450 live attendees, in addition to those watching via electronic means.(See conference archives for content from past conferences.) Deadline for submissions: August 1, 2018. Submissionpage: https://www.sfautismsociety.org/2018-conference-submissions.html
Summer camp listing on SFASA website
Looking for last-minute ideas for summer camps for kids or adults with autism or other specialneeds? Check out our camps page at the button below. We welcome updates and newsubmissions: [email protected].
From the SFASA Blog
See the submission page
See our camps page
The Closure of Sonoma Developmental Center Is NoVictory for California's Developmentally Disabled
"The soon-to-be-closed Sonoma Developmental Center land covers 2.6 square miles in agorgeous setting, and is of immense value. But proceeds will be shunted away from thedevelopmentally disabled."... Blog post by Michelle Condit
Is it time to give up on a single diagnostic label forautism? This father says YES
"Let the saber-rattling begin! Judging from the latest round of social media Autism Wars 2.0, onewould have thought conflicts about 'autism' were as deep-seated and hate-filled as any in the war-torn Middle East. (BTW, how on earth did humans entertain themselves before the days ofFacebook?). Anyway, on its Facebook page SFASA posted a photo of the backseat of our board
Read the blog
president’s car, ripped up by her severely autistic son, with the tag: When autism awarenessmonth starts out like this…#AuthenticAwarness.."... Blog post by Stephen Prutsman
Why You Should Pursue Genetic Testing for Your AutisticChild
"Despite the fact that chances of a definitive finding are still small—probably a bit less than 10%—some of us, like author Denise, hit the jackpot, unleashing a flood of insights about our children’sconditions. Also, even if nothing in the DNA looks fishy right away, you might get a geneticdiagnosis in the coming years as the research continues to progress. And finally, and perhapsmost important, by giving your child’s DNA (and/or brain, which we'll also discuss) to science, youwill further the noble research quest to plumb the mysteries of the autisms."... Blog post by JillEscher and Denise Haas
Movin and groovin at our 2018 Dance-a-thon for Autism
Thanks for shaking your groove thing with us during Autism Awareness Month in April. OurAll-Abilities Dance-a-thon at Cubberley Pavilion in Palo Alto raised money for local autism-serving nonprofits. Special thanks to our amazing DJ Christie James (in the gold shirt) of103.7FM KOSF who kept us on our feet for nearly four straight hours!
Read the blog
Read the blog
Thank you Mawuko Nyuaidzi and College of Adaptive Arts for the photos.
Summer Calendar Highlights
Starting June and Fridays through Summer: Music is Magic Summer Concert Series kicksoff at Magical Bridge Playground, Palo Alto, Fridays 6-7.30pm. Details at Facebookpage: https://www.facebook.com/MagicalBridge/
June 7: Disability Capitol Action Day in Sacramento --Contact FCSN to join via chartered busfcsn1996.org June 9: Crissy Field walk, SF (pic at left), 10am - Noon, with Autism Fun BayArea autismfunbayarea.org June 10: Family Access Day SF Zoo, 9-11.30am https://www.eventbrite.com/e/family-access-day-at-the-sf-zoo-tickets-45918753227 June 15: Kitka at Pomeroy Live! (pic at center), 7.30-9.30pm, Pomeroy Center,SF https://secure.qgiv.com/for/kit/ June 16: SARC Summer Festival at Rotary Play Park, 490 Coleman Avenue, SanJose http://www.sanandreasregional.org
June 30: "Strings of Summer" concert at Stanford (pic at right) by Autism Fun BayArea autismfunbayarea.org July 16: Week of July 16th Great America Autism Awareness Link to buy tickets ($2 is donatedto Autism Society of America): https://pages.cedarfair.com/autism August 1: Deadline to submit proposals for SFASA 2018 conference Throughout summer: Autism Fun Bay Area Hikes (primarily Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail,Sunday mornings): get info via Facebook Group. Joinhere: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AutismFunBayArea/
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SFASA is a volunteer-run nonprofit that relies on donations from our community: Please donate today. You can also donate simply by designating "Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area" as your nonprofit onAmazon Smile: https://smile.amazon.com
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Like what we do and want to be part of our team? Just email us letting us know of your particular skillsand interests (for example, graphic design, accounting, websites, event management, writing, legal, policyadvocacy, etc.) location, and time availability. [email protected]
Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area PO Box 249 San Mateo, CA 94401 [email protected] 650-637-7772 Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area is a volunteer-run, grass-roots organization of parents, familymembers, friends and professionals concerned about the well-being of local autism families, with anemphasis on expanding the limited lifespan care options for the dramatically increasing numbers of adultswith autism. See our Mission / Vision / Values Website • Facebook • Donate • Volunteer Board of Directors President: Jill Escher Vice President: Feda Almaliti Secretary: Cristina Moretto Treasurer: Anne Hare All Board Members
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