Beliefs Statement
Autismcc Yahoo Group
IPADDUnite Yahoo Group
One Place for Special Needs
Mac 'n' Cheese
Get More Involved
Beliefs Statement
We believe in the importance of fostering a strong connection between family and community.
We embrace the philosophy that inclusion of all residents in the rich fabric of community life,
events and programs enhances the quality of life for everyone. Those of us who have loved
ones with Autism Spectrum Disorder often want to access and participate in community activities,
but are faced with a unique set of challenges in our attempts to do so. We believe that most
obstacles can be overcome and barriers broken down when neighbors work with neighbors to
strengthen our communities.
Autismcc Yahoo Group
We are the largest Yahoo autism group in Illinois. Members include parents, educators and
professionals. When you join our community you will find that you are not alone. The lessons
learned from those who have traveled this road before can make your journey a little smoother.
Go to our downloads page for Q&A from our members on various topics. http://health.groups.
yahoo.com/group/autismcc/
New Directions
In addition to the Autismcc group, the three core members of Autism Community Connection,
Laurie Jerue, Dawn Villarreal and Kristin Nelson, have branched off into other products to further
assist those with developmental disabilities.
Illinois Parents of Adults with Developmental Disabilities Yahoo Group
Laurie Jerue has created IPADD to discuss the needs of parents of adults with developmental
disabilities. The purpose of the group is to give Illinois parents, self advocates, adult sibs and
others who care about adults with developmental disabilities, a dedicated online venue for
networking, sharing information, strategies, resources, progress or roadblocks so that we know
what’s happening around the state. Our primary focus will be on sharing innovative ideas and
practices in the areas of employment, volunteering or other day programming, housing options,
transportation, transition and creative funding strategies that support these efforts. http://health.
groups.yahoo.com/group/IPADDUnite/
One Place for Special Needs
Dawn Villarreal has created an exclusive special needs community for families and those that
provide support to those with disabilities. A person can come to One Place and find all
workshops, services, support groups, resources and other families in their own neighborhood.
http:www.oneplaceforspecialneeds.com
Mac 'n' Cheese
Kristin Nelson and Kelly Hickey have created Mac 'n' Cheese, a parent mentoring service for
families on the autism spectrum. MAC provides customized services to help families to help them
shorten the learning curve of raising a child on the autism spectrum.
http://www.macautism.com
Get more involved:
Community or Legislative Advocacy – This is a cause that affects us all. Do you have an
interest in local government? Perhaps your interest is in doing legislative advocacy at the state
level, in conjunction with other parent groups or statewide disability advocacy organizations? We
need people to get involved. There are many volunteer or advisory committees who make all
sorts of decisions everyday that affect our lives. If they don’t know a person with autism, it is
hard for them to make informed decisions or do sensitive resource planning that takes our needs
into account. Transportation, Fair Housing, Employment, Park District, Special Events, etc are all
City Council Committees with limited or no disability representation. Contact your local town hall
for the schedules of upcoming committee meetings.
What would you like to do? – The ideas are endless and are only limited by your imagination
and commitment. Anything that helps your family is almost guaranteed to help someone else’s
family too.
