Autism Science Foundation and UJA-Federation of New York to Launch Survey of Services Needs of Young Adults with Autism
(April 25, 2012—New York, NY)–The Autism Science Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting and funding autism research, and UJA-Federation of New York, an organization dedicated to strengthening the Jewish people and inspiring a passion for Jewish life and learning, announced today that they will work together to launch a survey of the services needs of young adults with autism in the New York metropolitan area. The announcement was made by Travis Epes, chair of UJA-Federation’s Autism Committee at today’s fifth annual UJA-Federation of New York Hilibrand Autism Symposium.
ASF and UJA-Federation will work with the Interactive Autism Network (IAN) at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University to design and implement the survey.
The survey will gather data from three groups; independent adults 18-35 with autism, parents of independent adults with autism, and parents of adults with autism under guardianship. The goal is to learn more about what leads individuals with autism to have a meaningfully engaged day. The survey will include questions about employment, leisure, and participation in spiritual activities.
“We want to learn specific information about the drivers of success, so that UJA-Federation and other philanthropic organizations can provide financial support to those types of activities, thus ensuring that the programs that lead to success become more widely available” said Epes.
The surveys are expected to be released in September. To participate or to receive updates about this project, email contactus@autismsciencefoundation.org, indicating which of the three survey groups best describes your family situation.
Additional support for this project has been provided by the FAR Fund (www.farfund.org).
About UJA-Federation of New York
For more than 90 years, UJA-Federation has been a central force for communal planning and philanthropy in the New York Jewish community. Through UJA-Federation, more than 60,000 donors pool their resources to help people in need, inspire a passion for Jewish life and learning, and strengthen Jewish communities around the world — to address the issues that matter to us most as Jews and as New Yorkers, such as helping those affected by autism. Working with more than 100 network beneficiary agencies, synagogues, and other Jewish organizations, our reach spans from New York to Israel to more than 60 other countries around the world, touching 4.5 million people each year. Because we do the most good when we do it together. For more information, please visit our website at www.ujafedny.org.
About the Autism Science Foundation:
The Autism Science Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Its mission is to support autism research by providing funding to scientists and organizations conducting, facilitating, publicizing and disseminating autism research. The organization also provides information about autism to the general public and serves to increase awareness of autism spectrum disorders and the needs of individuals and families affected by autism. In 2011, ASF was named the number one startup nonprofit in the national “Disabilities” category by nonprofit rating agency Guidestar. To learn more about the Autism Science Foundation’s programs visit www.autismsciencefoundation.org.
Contact Info:
Dawn Crawford
Autism Science Foundation
dcrawford@autismsciencefoundation.org