Resources for Youth and Families:

• Transition Discoveries | Your Voice . Your Story . Your Future: The primary focus of Transition Discoveries is to empower communities to share leadership and collaboration to plan for life after high school with young people with disabilities, their families, and stakeholders.
• Home - PYLN: The mission of the Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network is to coordinate a network led and driven by inclusive organizations of youth and young adults with and without disabilities across Pennsylvania.
• Disability Resource Guide in Southeast Pennsylvania (abclawcenters.com): Disability Resources in Southeast Pennsylvania. Main cities: Allentown, Bensalem, Bethlehem, Chester, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Norristown, Philadelphia, Reading, Upper Darby.
• DON Connect (padlet.org): Padlet of resources compiled by Disability Options Network.
• The Three Parts of Self-Advocacy for People with Disabilities (covey.org): Self-advocacy, while important for everyone, is especially important for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Learning to advocate for yourself may seem daunting, but you don’t have to do it alone.
• Self Advocates United as 1 (sau1.org): Self Advocates United as 1 is a group of people who envision a world where people with developmental disabilities and their families are united to share knowledge, empower others, and use their voices to transform their communities and people’s lives.

Resources for Professionals:

• RAISE Center A SPAN Project | Resources for Access, Independence, Self-Advocacy and Employment: RAISE provides technical assistance and resources to professionals working in Transition.
• the stigma project | Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council (paddc.org): The stigma associated with people with disabilities is everywhere. It’s ugly, hurtful and many times, unnoticed. It’s time to stare stigma in the face and start talking about it. 
• Changing Perspectives (changingperspectivesnow.org): Changing Perspectives partners with schools and school districts across the country to promote social-emotional learning and cultivate inclusive and equitable learning communities for all students.

Learn more about the Disability Rights Movement:

• The Movement - AAPD: Explore the History of the ADA and the Disabilities Rights Movement.
• A Brief But Spectacular take on the disability rights movement: A short video on Judy Heumann's work fighting against disability discrimination.
• Learn about the disabled community (lovehasnolabels.com)
  
• Disability Glossary | ADL: Glossary of common disability terms.

What is Autism?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD may behave, communicate, interact, and learn in ways that are different from most other people.

There is no one way to be autistic. Some autistic people can speak, and some autistic people need to communicate in other ways. Some autistic people also have intellectual disabilities, and some autistic people don’t. Some autistic people need a lot of help in their day-to-day lives, and some autistic people only need a little help.

Source: What is Autism Spectrum Disorder? | CDC, About Autism - Autistic Self Advocacy Network (autisticadvocacy.org)