In July we had a focus on Employment with our Autism Employment Empowerment Day on July 23rd, sponsored by Amerigroup! Participants heard from HEB, Dell, Peak Performers, ACC, Greenleaf, and other organizations on how they can help Autistic adults meet their employment needs. AST staff were also busy helping spread education and training about what it means to be Autism Friendly. Through our Autism Friendly Partnership program, we were able to assist in making a 4th of July event sensory friendly and assist a national retail chain with a back to school campaign! Anastasia Sharp-Keller from Galliant Care provided a first responder training on behalf of Autism Society of Texas to the Childress Police Station! We look forward to more ways where we can engage the broader community.
We had our Autism-friendly COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Austin and Dallas, and some great connections were made at our parent/caregiver groups around the state! We wrapped up the month with a fun night at the Round Rock Express baseball game, where Jason, 22 years old, and a huge baseball fan, got to throw out the first pitch! Our Navigating Autism team continues to support Autistic adults as well as families of children with Autism through personalized guidance and support. We received this feedback from one adult who believes she may have Autism and requested information on how to get a diagnosis.
“Thank you so much for all of the resources. It saves a lot of time and energy (and heartache) for me so I really appreciate it.”