April is Autism Awareness Month, but we propose thinking in terms of Autism Advancement! Join the AASCEND community for a potluck brunch on Saturday, April 21, 10:30-1:30 PM, at the Arc of San Francisco, 1500 Howard St. @ 11th St. San Francisco. We will have food and drink, but bring something to share if you can. No RSVP necessary. Entertainment!!

The March 17 AASCEND meeting should be a lively one! Is it possible to have peaceful and inclusive discussion of questions like the following? Come share your thoughts:

1. Do the changes to the definition of autism proposed for the upcoming DSM 5  help or harm the autism community?
2. “The Autism Wars”: Can the Cure-Childhood-Autism and Celebrate-Adult-Autism contingents hear each other and speak with one voice when advocating for autism resources? How do the needs of self-advocating spectrum adults overlap those of families with severely impacted autistic children?
3. Can adult autism advocates “own the puzzle piece” logo long associated with the cure-autism movement? Is there anything puzzling about autism?
4. Bring your own questions about the Politics of Autism!

March 17, 10-noon     CCSF Downtown Campus      Room 618    88 4th St. @ Mission St.

AASCEND members will explore What I Wish My Parents Knew about autism on a panel at the 2012 Information and Resource Conference hosted by Support For Families, Saturday March 3, 8:30am-3:30pm at John O’Connell High School, 2355 Folsom St., SF.

The AASCEND panel will be at 2pm. Come for a lively event, to encourage the panelists, and to  soak up a lot of useful information among friends!

The event is FREE and all are welcome. There is food. More information is here.

Many people on the autism spectrum long for comfortable romantic relationships, but these can be frustratingly elusive and difficult for us. In the spirit of the month of Valentines, AASCEND’s February meeting will celebrate our efforts at Romantic Relationships On and Off The Spectrum. Bring your stories of love or relationship difficulty on and off the spectrum and we’ll share our experience, the challenges, and how we try to make it work.

Getting and holding a job is difficult for many people on the autism spectrum. To address this problem AASCEND has helped organize a job club for people on the autism spectrum, under the guidance of Michael Bernick, former head of California’s Employment Development Department, and Cindy Zoeller, an employment coach aiding spectrum clients in the Sacramento area. The job club has been meeting regularly in downtown San Francisco with enthusiastic participation from many AASCEND members. The next meeting is Saturday, June 2, 10:00 AM. RSVP cindy_zoeller@yahoo.com

Michael Bernick on job clubs                Cindy Zoeller on autism employment

The film Too Sane for This World, directed by William Davenport and featuring many AASCEND members, has won the Gold Kahuna Award at the 2012 Honolulu Film Awards in the category of Documentary film. The  Honolulu Film Awards recognizes outstanding achievement in filmmaking from around the world. It recognizes and celebrate the finest independent cinema while helping to advance the careers of promising filmmakers. The film has also been nominated for a 2012 Voice Award. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,  the Voice Awards honor peer leaders who have played a vital role in raising awareness and understanding of behavioral health issues, and promoting the social inclusion of individuals with behavioral health challenges. Through their exemplary leadership and advocacy they demonstrate that individuals with behavioral health challenges are valuable contributing members of their schools, workplaces, and communities.

See more at TalkStoryFilms.com