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A
message from Lee Grossman,
President of the
Autism Society of America
It is with much sincerity
that I thank you for honoring me by electing me the President
of this great organization. The support you have
shown me has been very gratifying and humbling. I look
forward to serving you as we move the Society forward
into a new, wonderful future.
This year celebrates the
35th anniversary of the ASA. We have
a glorious history of being the leading organization in
creating and advocating for special education legislation
and entitlements, we have a grassroots network of chapters
and volunteers that support the local needs of the autism
community, and we are the leaders in securing research
money and influencing the national agenda for autism through
our vigilant government relations efforts. It is
a history that all who have been involved can be proud
of.
The Board of Directors of the ASA recently voted to recommend
to the membership changes to our bylaws that would re-organize
the Society. The purpose of these changes is to
re-create the ASA in a manner indicative of current non-profit
organizations' best practices, to give the chapters' direct
representation on the Board, to open the Board to take
advantage of expertise outside of our membership, and
to guarantee professional management of the Society.
The ASA will move aggressively forward in the coming year
to establish a national agenda for autism. We will
build this effort on three critical elements that will
become part of the ASA's new lexicon. These
three critical elements are as follows: celebrating recovery
from autism, the national public health crisis of autism,
and recognizing and uniting the autism community.
The first element is celebrating recovery from autism.
Over the past 10 years that I have been involved with
autism, I have seen remarkable improvement in the nature,
number, and success in autism treatments. I am not
so naive as to suggest that all is well. Indeed,
I believe that we have barely scratched the surface in
appropriate service delivery. But improvements and
successes are a reality. And our children and adults
with autism are benefiting. Recovery is a term that
reflects any and all improvements these individuals are
making in their ability to live with autism. Their
accomplishments and achievements must be recognized and
celebrated. Optimism and encouragement must and
will become a concept associated with autism.
(continued on next column)
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The
second element is the national public health crisis in the
United States today.
This national public health crisis is the result of the skyrocketing
number in the incidence of autism. There is much debate
as to the "how's and why's", as to why this is occurring and
what the incidence numbers reflect. However, this debate is
a distraction from the singular focus that we must have. The
numbers are irrefutable...we are in the midst of a crisis.
The ASA will be the leader in bringing this issue to the national
forefront and will be proactive in demanding the attention
that this crisis deserves.
The third element is recognizing and uniting the autism community.
The autism community is made up of tremendous diversity.
The commonly used number of 500,000 persons affected by autism
is not truly reflective of this tremendously diverse community.
I suggest that the true number of people affected by autism
is in the millions.
Let us not forget the professionals (our silent heroes) who
serve our children. Let us not forget the siblings (the
silent victims) whose lives have been disrupted by autism.
Let us not forget the parents who struggle through each day
to provide the highest possible quality of life for their
family. Let us not forget our extended family, our friends,
our neighbors and associates that know and empathize with
the life autism has dealt us. And, most important, let
us never forget the individuals that have autism.
We are all part of this autism community. And together
we are a mighty force for change. The ASA is the only
national organization that is representative of the entire
autism community. And we will embrace and welcome all
who join with us to create a combined, unified effort to improve
the lives of all affected by autism.
This is a new ASA. One that is invigorated to defend
and advance our collective cause. We are poised to lead
the autism community to a better day. My wife, Nina,
our sons, Chad, Vance and Aaron, and I thank you for the honor
you have given us to serve you. Please join with us
and the ASA as we create a future that is much better for
us all.
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