Unlocking Autism was founded primarily for the purpose of increasing awareness about the disorder. In 1999, we launched the Open Your Eyes project, which is a collection of pictures of people with autism from all over the United States, as well as several other countries. It is our hope that the collection will put a face on statistics and will serve as an educational tool for the general public. In the first year, we collected over 3500 pictures. Our ultimate goal is 58,000. The pictures were displayed for the first time at the Hear Their Silence 2000 Rally in Washington DC.
TalkAutism is a communication service shared by many organi-zations who access a common database of resource directories, distance learning library, and special message boards. By sharing a central yet customized communications platform users can find resources here or virtually within our partners' or supporters' websites.
Welcome to the Autism Society of America, the voice of the autism community. Whether you are an individual with autism, a parent, family member or friend, professional or other interested advocate, consider joining ASA! Your involvement and financial contribution helps ASA get autism information into the hands of those who need it most and supports our efforts to promote education, awareness, and advocacy on critical issues. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and other governmental agencies, autism is growing at a startling rate of 10-17 percent per year. At this rate, ASA estimates that the prevalence of autism could reach 4 million Americans in the next decade.
At Autism Speaks, our goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. We are dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder. We are committed to raising the funds necessary to support these goals. Autism Speaks aims to bring the autism community together as one strong voice to urge the government and private sector to listen to our concerns and take action to address this urgent global health crisis. It is our firm belief that, working together, we will find the missing pieces of the puzzle. Autism Speaks. It's time to listen.
Cure Autism Now (CAN) is an organization of parents, clinicians and leading scientists committed to accelerating the pace of biomedical research in autism through raising money for research projects, education and outreach. Founded by parents of children with autism in 1995, the organization has grown from a kitchen-table effort to the largest provider of support for autism research and resources in the country. The organization's primary focus is to fund essential research through a variety of programs designed to encourage innovative approaches toward identifying the causes, prevention, treatment and a cure for autism and related disorders. Since its founding, Cure Autism Now has committed over $25 million in research, the establishment and ongoing support of the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE), and numerous outreach and awareness activities aimed at families, physicians, governmental officials and the general public.