Autism Society of America HQ

The Autism Society vision identifies three keys to improving the lives of those affected by autism:

1. Maximize Quality of Life
2. Treated With Dignity
3. Talents Are Valued

All efforts by the Autism Society focus on these three keys to mission fulfillment. Through our strategic planning efforts, the Autism Society identified 15 outcomes that best indicate improvement to the lives of those affected by autism. Each of the 15 outcomes supports one of the three keys: maximizing quality of life, being treated with dignity and having talents valued.

This new outcomes-based model addresses basic human rights that allow people to interact with one another and the world on their own terms. Quality of life indicators such as the ability to communicate, the freedom to choose a career and opportunities for community involvement are essential aspects of the human experience, and we promote treatments, accommodations and acceptance with them in mind.

Through this new model, the Autism Society is able to provide consistency in outcomes and experiences nationwide, while maintaining autonomy among the Autism Society Affiliates to best serve their local communities through local programs.

The 15 Outcomes:

- Academic Success
- Autonomy and Self ­Sufficiency
- Communication
- Financial Stability
- Health and Well ­Being
- Inclusion
- Independent Living
- Meaningful Employment with Fair Wages
- Pursuit of Dreams
- Recreation and Leisure
- Respect and Dignity
- Self­ Identity and Acceptance
- Social Connections

For more information on the Autism Society's Strategic Plan, please visit our website at www.autism-society.org

In 2015, the Autism Society of America embarked on a comprehensive, highly inclusive and transparent strategic planning process that examined how best to assure that each person with an autism diagnosis would be able to maximize his or her quality of life each and every day. Our goal was simply to define how best to advance the work of a national network of the Autism Society to utilize our volunteers and staff members to assure opportunity and measurable outcome success in life for each of the over 3.5 million individuals related to their quality of life.

The Autism Society’s 5-year strategy identifies five distinct strategic goals critical to our mission success:

1. Lifespan Programs & Services
2. Effective Advocacy & Public Policy
3. Expanded Education & Training
4. Integrated Information & Referral
5. Enabling Effective Operations

In addition, the strategic plan also details a number of cross-cutting factors to enable the Autism Society’s long-term success. To ensure that our intent becomes reality, the Autism Society implemented a comprehensive strategic management approach. We established numerous cross-functional teams with our affiliate, public, and industry partners; and engaged over 200 key stakeholders (including family members, professionals, affiliate leaders, and especially individuals on the autism spectrum) throughout the process. The results are a robust 5 year Strategic Plan supported by detailed implementation plans. Collectively, these drive our budget priorities to ensure our goals and objectives are translated into discrete actions, initiatives, and innovations for which the organization will be held accountable.

For more information on the Autism Society's Strategic Plan, please visit our website at www.autism-society.org

Our work is dependent on supportive donors who believe in our vision and ability to positively improve the quality of life for all affected by autism. We are proud that we have a rich diversity of funding including individuals, foundations, corporations, and volunteers from $1 to
$125,000.

The Autism Society generates over $40 million in annual revenue throughout its nationwide network of affiliates. With approximately 79 affiliates operating in 37 states, our grassroots structure focuses on meeting the unique needs of local communities while maintaining standards of practice that ensure quality and outcome-focused efforts within the guidelines of our national mission and objectives. With the help of staff and volunteers, our structure maximizes the value of each donor's contribution. This diversity has helped us maintain our operations successfully for over 50 years.

We value transparency, quality of support, advancement, and meaningful outcomes; we thank our supporters for consistently trusting us to collaborate, connect, and pave the road forward to a better future.

We understand that every contribution matters - big or small - and we are dedicated to being responsive as we work towards a more inclusive, accepting world.

Implementation of our new strategic plan is in process, including the establishment of outcome-measurement mechanisms. While we don't have specific results focused on our new outcome measurements, these achievements within the past year are tied to our overall goals and objectives:

In 2018, the Autism Society and its network of 79 affiliates were able to serve and support over 620,000 people. Here are some highlights from this past year:

➢ Program Services:

*Our network received over 225,000 phone calls, emails, and support cases (around a 20% INCREASE in I&R support provided in 2018, compared to 2017)
*Our Autism Source™ online resource database contains over 35,000 listings of autism service providers throughout the nation.
About 5,000 autistic adults attended self-advocate support groups across the country.


➢ Education and Awareness:

* Our network hosted over 8,000 events to support our community; this includes fundraisers, conferences, walks, inclusion events, and more.
* 157,000+ people were served through educational programs and service events.
* Our network trained over 7,100 first responders to be better prepared and understand the proper protocol for interactions with autistic individuals.
* 22,000+ individuals attended sensory-friendly movies throughout local communities, with support from our national partner, AMC Theatres.


➢ Advocacy:
In 2018, we successfully worked on the following public policy activities...

*Took a leadership role in advocating for the reauthorization and improvement of the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Supports (CARES) Act, the Lifespan Respite Care Act, and an extension of Money Follows the Person Program. These laws are on the verge of becoming law.
*Supported the Coalition to Advance Competitive Integrated Employment through Hill briefings and the introduction of several bills.
*Maintained federal funding for programs important to people with autism, such as special education and employment services, and newly authorized money to protect children who wander.
*Continued to advocate to protect Medicaid funded long-term care and protection within the Affordable Care Act. Submitted comments on numerous proposed regulatory changes related to health care, education, employment, and civil rights.
*Supported affiliates to advocate at the state and local levels in the areas of restraints and seclusion in schools, school safety, and first responder training.