Please enjoy OARC’s quarterly newsletter, which includes information on recent autism events, news, publications, and community participation opportunities.

The Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce discussed the "Autism CARES Act of 2019" and other legislation related to health during a hearing on June 25, 2019. Reauthorization of the CARES Act would renew the IACC for a new cycle.

John Elder Robison discusses his autism diagnosis, his experience as a parent of a child with autism, his perspectives and work on neurodiversity, and the impact of the autistic community on society.

Members of the Housing Working group will convene a workshop to discuss the housing needs of people on the autism spectrum. The workshop will include presentations on housing needs and various disability housing initiatives from across the country.

The final meeting of the current IACC will feature discussions on racial and ethnic disparities in autism and a community partnership in Baton Rouge, LA to coordinate services for people on the autism spectrum.

To submit a comment for the IACC workshop or full committee meeting, please click here. The deadline to submit a public comment is Tuesday, July 16, 2019 by 5:00 p.m. EST.

The May IACC Workshop addressed mental health issues that affect people on the autism spectrum, including anxiety and OCD, depression and suicide, self-injurious and aggressive behaviors, and mental health services.

The April meeting included a presentation from Canadian Parliament Member Mike Lake and his son Jaden. It also included a panel presentation on disability employment initiatives, an update from the Federal Communications Commission, and an overview of the new CDC Data Visualization Platform.

This year’s Autism Awareness Month Special Event featured four autistic female authors and editors, who discussed their books and life experiences as women on the spectrum.

The Interactive Autism Network, the first online registry dedicated to autism, will close after 13 years. The role it played in the community will be rolled into the Simons Foundation SPARK initiative. IAN has enrolled about 60,000 participants including 26,000 with autism, who will be encouraged to sign up for SPARK.

On Monday, June 24, 2019, President Trump signed into law, the "Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2019," which hopes to improve disaster planning for those with disabilities.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a funding opportunity for a youth-focused disability policy development center. The center will conduct research, engage with stakeholders, identify effective policies and practices, and provide resources to support the transition from school to employment.

The "Promoting Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income" (PROMISE) Project was a multi-department initiative to improve the education and career outcomes of low-income children with disabilities and their families. The team hosted an event in May to share their findings.

In April, Dr. Joshua Gordon, Director of NIMH and Chair of IACC, blogged about progress in autism research over the past twenty years. He highlighted the state of autism research in the late nineties, the state of research today, and his vision for the future.

This National Council on Disability report examines the challenges faced by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD), and how the use of alternatives such as supported decision-making may enable some individuals to participate more fully in their communities, and achieve greater self-sufficiency.

This report, also by the National Council on Disability, sought to understand the reasons behind the involuntary institutionalization of people with disabilities after natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. This report includes their findings and recommendations.

The CDC released a report on the characteristics and prevalence of autism among 4-year-old children. Researchers looked at characteristics such as sex and race/ethnicity. These findings highlight the continued need of early diagnosis.

Have you ever participated in an autism study? How was it? If you have never enrolled in a study, why not? The Autism Science Foundation wants to understand what drives people to participate and what makes them quit.

SPARK (Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge) matches individuals with research studies based on characteristics such as age, diagnosis, medical history, and more. Their aim is to speed up research and advance the understanding of autism.

The NIH All of Us Research Program seeks to gather data from one million or more people to accelerate research and improve health. Individuals with disabilities are welcome to participate.