AUTISM NETWORK INTERNATIONAL
Presents
AUTREAT
What is Autreat?
Program
Continuing Education Units
A special note about social interactions
Funding
Transportation to the campus
Child care
Ongoing Autreat updates and discussion online group
Interested in helping to underwrite Autreat with a tax-deductible contribution?
What is Autreat?
Autreat is a retreat-style conference run by autistic people, for autistic people and our friends.Autreat focuses on positive living with autism, NOT on causes, cures, or ways to make us more normal.
How Autreat is different from typical autism conferences
Typical autism conferences are about autistic people, but are primarily for the benefit of researchers, service providers, or families. Autreat is an opportunity for autistic people and those with related developmental differences, our friends, and supporters to come together, discover and explore autistic connections, and develop advocacy skills, all in an autistic-friendly environment. Family members and professionals are welcome to attend, but the structure and content of this event will be determined by the interests and sensibilities of autistic people.Things you will not find at Autreat:
- Crowded, noisy hotel or conference center
- Exhausting, intensive schedule
- Inescapable sensory bombardment
- Pressure to interact if you don't want to
- Focus on "celebrities"
- Focus on causes, cures, or ways to make us more normal
Things you will find at Autreat:
- Small college campus with plenty of outdoor space to get away and be alone or with friends.
- Smoke-free, perfume-free environment
- Opportunity to explore autistic social contacts, if desired
- Respect for the choice to be left alone, if preferred
- Focus on positive aspects of autism
- Child care for autistic and non-autistic children ages 4 and up
- Three days of continuous immersion in an autistic-friendly environment
Upgraded Facility!
Autreat is held in a college campus for improved comfort, accessibility, and food service. The campus has plenty of open space for walking, recreation, and enjoying the outdoors. Lodging is in a residence hall with two to four people per room. Some private rooms MAY be available at an extra cost. Wheelchair-accessible facilities are available.If you are new to Autreat
Autreat is designed to be ‘autistic space.’ This is sometimes confusing or uncomfortable for non-autistic people attending. If you’re new to ANI and unfamiliar with Autreat protocol, please carefully review the information in this brochure and on the ANI web site, and contact ANI if you have questions. Descriptions of past Autreats can be found here. A personal account is found here and here. If you aren’t sure you’re ready for three days of total immersion, you might consider registering for days only and commuting from a local motel.PROGRAM
WORKSHOPS
Autreat features a lineup of workshops on a variety of subjects of interest to the Autistic community, including both advocacy-related topics and practical daily living concerns. Descriptions of past workshops can be found here.OPTIONAL CERTIFICATE TRACKS
You may earn a certificate by attending a group of seven workshops chosen to reflect a certain theme.You do not need to be in a certificate track--this is purely
optional.
You are free to attend any workshops you want, as many or as few as
you want, or not to attend any workshops at all.
Continuing Education Units
In recent years, Autreat has been approved to offer Continuing Education Units through the Center on Human Policy at Syracuse University.A special note about social interactions
For some ANI members, meeting other autistic people and having a chance to socialize with others like ourselves is an exciting and wonderful experience. Others are not interested in social contacts and may come to this event just for the workshops. Some of us are interested in socializing some, but need to be able to take time out from interacting. Autreat is meant to provide opportunity, but not pressure, for social interactions.If you are coming to meet other autistic people, please understand that some people will also want to meet you, but some will not be into meeting people, and their own choice must also be respected.
If you want to come but do not want to meet or talk to people, you are still welcome to attend. You will be given a color-coded badge which you can use to indicate if you want to be approached only by people you already know, or don't want to be approached at all by anyone.
If you are a parent, a teacher, or other service provider, and
are bringing
an autistic child or student or client because you hope the person will
make social connections with others, please adopt the same position of
providing opportunity, but not pressure.
If you need personal assistance
ANI is not able to provide personal assistance for people who need help caring for themselves or participating in this program. If you need help with self-care, communication, orientation, or behavior management, please make your own arrangements to have someone with you to assist you.
Local support people may be available from a Philadelphia home health agency for people who need part-time support but do not need to have someone with them round the clock, or who need full-time support but would find it difficult to pay for a support person's travel expenses.
Child care and activities for kids
The rate for children and teens includes a supervised activity program for all children under 18. Staff:child ratio is approximately 1:6. If your child needs more support than this, please bring an aide for your child, or contact ANI about hiring extra staff for an additional fee.Funding
In the past, people have successfully applied for funding from sources such as local autism societies, family support agencies, state commissions on developmental disabilities, Arc chapters, and public schools.Read A Short Course on Autreat Funding
by
Jim Sinclair, for more information.
Airplane tickets
Mercy Medical Airlift, www.mercymedical.org, may be able to provide air transportation for financially needy autistic people and families, under the following provisions:1) Anybody living within approximately 1000 miles of the conference site - we can usually arrange their transportation in general aviation aircraft - at no cost to them. Folks must be ambulatory outpatients. Escorts may travel with the patient.
2) With regard to airlines - ie, folks living more than 1000
miles away
- all we can do at the present time is get highly discounted tickets
- not unlike what folks can buy 30 days in advance on the Internet -
but
we can get them up to the last minute: ie, waiving all
restrictions.
Wheelchairs
can be accommodated.
Transportation to the campus
Transportation to the campus from the Philadelphia airport,
bus and train station,
and motels will be available by van.
ANI has compiled information on local transit from campus to the metro Philadelphia area, and information on nearby restaurants, grocery stores, and hotels/motels, to assist confirmed attendees pre-Autreat and on-site.
