Theme: Growing Stronger Together
Attend this year's hybrid conference virtually or in-person in Madison, Wisconsin at the Goodman Community Center
Details
Pre-Conference Webinar - Stop Making Us Prove It: Believing Is The Accommodation
Presenter: Nationally known author and disability advocate Julie Harris
Interested in being a sponsor for this year's conference?
Inquire at integral@autismsocietywi.org
What Is INTEGRAL?
INTEGRAL is an Autism conference like no other. It puts adults on the Autism spectrum front and center, not as a subject for others to discuss, but to come together and exchange perspectives with non-Autistic professionals and parents so that everyone can learn from each other.
INTEGRAL is about getting Autistic adults and non-Autistic allies in the same space to learn from each other and to collaborate on real-world issues
Adults on the Autism spectrum don’t have as much of a voice as they should. Their roles and relevance to Autism issues are under-represented not only scientifically and politically, but within the Autism community itself. Yet adults on the Autism spectrum have a tremendous amount of lived experience that can help put Autism issues into their most proper context – the context of what it’s actually like to live a life on the Autism spectrum.
INTEGRAL is dedicated to expanding and improving communication between adults on the Autism spectrum and the countless specialists, supporters, and family members whose lives and work are entwined with theirs, with a focus on ensuring that adult Autism voices are fully and accurately represented to professional, political, and parental leaders in the wider Autism community. “Nothing about us without us."
How this conference is different
We use a collaborative model—not the usual top down lecture model of most conferences.
Our goal for this conference is for it to be a community effort.
It’s a community made up of Autistic adults, non-Autistic parents, and non-Autistic professionals, who will learn from each other to form a bigger and better-equipped network with more of the resources, insights, and diverse perspectives to take on the challenges faced by Autistic adults today.
Our participants bring much life experience to the table.
• Many Autistic adults have knowledge about autism that no one else has. In fact, many times they've had these insights before being scientifically recognized
• Non-Autistic parents have been advocating for their children since they were born and are looking for ways to change our culture to be more accepting.
• Non-Autistic professionals, too, want to make a big difference in making the lived experience of autistic adults positive and fulfilling.
We want this community effort to start a conversation that continues to make a difference. We hope today you learn from listening and by adding to the conversation if you are able.
Participation At INTEGRAL
Being here is an important form of participation, and we’re glad to have you here, even if you prefer to listen, rather than speak or chat via Zoom.
We hope you actively participate, and we also understand that not everyone—Autistic or otherwise—is comfortable asking questions or sharing perspectives in a public venue like this conference. That’s okay.
We respect your decision about whether or not to add to the conversation, and we also want to help you feel as comfortable as possible about contributing, if you’d like.
Have a connection to Autism? We want you there. All stakeholders of the Autism community are invited to attend – adults on the spectrum, parents, support workers, researchers, clinicians, therapists, educators, social workers, disability advocates, and business leaders, among others. The biggest goal of INTEGRAL is to get lots of perspectives sharing ideas, educating each other, and forging a stronger community through direct interaction.
Interested in making next year’s conference happen?
Fill out our short volunteer interest form and we’ll reach out!
We hope to see you at this great opportunity for learning and growing as a community!
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