E
very April, we celebrate Autism Awareness Month, with World Autism Awareness Day sanctioned by the United Nations (UN) to be on April 2nd every year. This April, we celebrate differences in an effort to build an inclusive society where individuals with autism live fully through connection and acceptance. The goal is to lead the legislative effort for lawmakers to federally and globally designate April as Autism Acceptance Month, a shift from the commonly used phrase “Autism Awareness Month.”
While the goal is to educate others about autism, words matter; the need for acceptance is greater than ever as our society strives for autistic individuals to live fully in all areas of life. It is extremely important to foster acceptance, to ignite change through improved support, and to create opportunities in education, employment, accessible housing, affordable health care and comprehensive long-term services and supports.