2017 Targeting Autism Forum, May 11-12

Posted on February 16, 2017 Updated on April 3, 2017

The Targeting Autism national forum will be held May 11 and 12, 2017 at the Illinois State Library, in Springfield, Illinois.  Seating is limited.  This year, we would like to prioritize registration for “first-timers,” those who have not previously attended one of the forums, while still allowing the continuing education of former attendees.  Registration forms will be available soon.  Mark your calendar today!

Getting Ready for the 2017 Targeting Autism Forum!!

Posted on February 1, 2017 Updated on April 3, 2017

With the support of grant funds from the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS), the Illinois State Library is very excited to be hosting the third annual Targeting Autism forum on May 11-12 in Springfield, IL. These forums provide an educational venue for librarians and various other autism stakeholders to learn from one another and to elevate the role of libraries in supporting the large population of those impacted by autism.

We are thrilled to announce that one of our keynote speakers this year is Michael John Carley, the Founder, and first Executive Director of GRASP, the largest organization comprised of adults on the autism spectrum. Carley’s presentation will focus on topics covered in his new book “Unemployed on the Autism Spectrum,” Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2016.

From Michael John Carley’s website:

“He [Michael John Carley] has appeared in the media widely, most notably in the New York Times, Washington Post, NY Newsday, the London Times, HuffPost Live, NEWSWEEK OnAir, ABCNews, BBC News, FOX News Network, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Psychology Today, Exceptional Parent Magazine, and on radio with Terry Gross’ Fresh Air, and The Infinite Mind. NPR News also aired a 12-minute story in June of 2006 that featured he and GRASP. Carley was also featured in the documentaries, “On the Spectrum,” and “Off the Rails.” He was one of two people on the spectrum to address Congress in their first-ever hearings on autism, he has addressed the United Nations, and his articles have been published in magazines such as Autism Spectrum News, Autism Spectrum Quarterly, and Autism/Asperger Digest. He has a column with Huffington Post (“Autism Without Fear”) and his first two books, Asperger’s From the Inside Out: A Supportive and Practical Guide for Anyone with Asperger’s Syndrome (Penguin/Perigee, April, 2008) and Unemployed on the Autism Spectrum (Jessica Kingsley, February, 2016) were both released to humbling advance reviews. He has also finished two more books; a) “Why Am I Afraid of Sex?” Building Sexual Confidence in the Autism Spectrum . . . and Maybe Everyone Else!; and b) The Last Memoir of Asperger’s Syndrome.

He was the inaugural FAR Fund Fellow in 2003; and he has since received NYFAC’s Ben Kramer Award (2008), the BCID Award for Service (2009), Columbia University’s Herbert M. Cohen Lecture (2011), and Eden II’s Peter McGowan & John Potterfield Achievement Award (2011). He also proudly sits on the Board of Directors of New York Collaborates for Autism, and the Advisory Boards of GallopNYC, and C.H.A.S.E.

Until 2001, Mr. Carley was the United Nations Representative of Veterans for Peace, Inc. In that time, he was known primarily for his work in Bosnia, and in Iraq as the Project Director of the internationally acclaimed Iraq Water Project. Prior to 2001 he was also a playwright who enjoyed 15 productions and 10 readings of his plays in New York.”

Stayed tuned for more information, including registration details and a complete agenda for the 2017 Targeting Autism forum.