Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism National Town Hall Meeting Wrap-up (Part 1)

On Friday, November 13, 2009, more than 1,200 participants and facilitators gathered across the U.S. to discuss and develop an actionable platform to address the issues that affect adults with autism. 42% of those participating in the forum were either adults with autism or family members. In addition, 35% were program and service providers, with community leaders representing another 16% of participants. In Chicago, we were joined by numerous community leaders including Mayor Daley, Mrs. Daley and officials from throughout the city.
Participants in Friday's historic event had...Read More

Hope and TAP at the AFAA Town Hall Meeting

Captions will be added over the weekend

TAP sets up for the AFAA National Town Hall Meeting

A look into the setup of the AFAA National Town Hall Meeting at the UIC Forum.

Springield's Ace Hardware offers "Hope Plaques" designed by Hope School Students

Ace Hardware, located on Wabash Avenue in Springfield, recently asked the Hope School Vocational Department if students would help decorate a number of plain stone plaques for Christmas displays as part of their on-the-job training program. Hope students assisted by hand-painting the stone plaques that have now been placed around Christmas trees throughout the store. Ace Hardware has now renamed these newly decorated stones "Hope Plaques" and announced that 100% of the proceeds from the sales of Hope Plaques will benefit the The Hope Institute for Children and Families.

Hope Plaques are available for $5 at Ace Hardware on Wabash Avenue. The Hope Institute would like thank Ace Hardware for their support of The Hope Institute for Children and Families. In addition, we want to recognize the student, staff, and job coaches for their hard work and students whose hard work went into making the Hope Plaques.

Chicago Outreach Radio promotes the AFAA National Town Hall Meeting

Chicago Outreach Radio interviewed The Autism Program of Illinois' Director of Operations, Georgia Winson about the upcoming Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism National Town Hall Meeting.  Listen in streaming audio or on video.

Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism on Outreach Radio from Communicating Hope on Vimeo.

Examiner: Addressing the needs of adults with autism: Inside the national town hall meeting

From the Examiner: Addressing the needs of adults with autism: Inside the national town hall meeting

...The Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism National Town Hall Meeting represents a departure from typical agenda-driven symposiums or conferences. The "town hall" format will not include long-winded speakers or panelists; nor will the "town hall" meeting be driven by a single organization's agenda. Rather, the national town hall format is designed to break down participants into smaller groups, providing each participant the opportunity to provide substantive feedback and address the issues specific to their own experiences. The use of technology will aid in consolidating participant discussions into a clear set of shared priorities and recommendations. Producing and facilitating the event is AmericaSpeaks, an organization that has facilitated dozens of "town hall" style events over the past 12 years.


The AFAA National Town Meeting has brought together more than 42 organizations nationwide including The Autism Program of Illinois, The Hope Institute for Children and Families, Easter Seals, Autism Speaks, The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation, Alpine Learning Group...read more