For Immediate Release: May 8, 2025
Contact: Jess Davidson at jdavidson@aapd.com; 202-465-5528
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of the nation’s leading autism and disability organizations have come together to organize an Autism Roundtable on May 12, 2025. The roundtable offers a vital opportunity for policymakers to hear from autistic people, family members, researchers, and service providers about the urgent challenges facing our community—including barriers to services, the impact of proposed funding cuts, and the need for respectful, community-driven research. The organizations organizing this important roundtable invited US Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to attend this convening.
The event will convene autistic self-advocates, family members, researchers, service providers, and policy leaders to engage in meaningful dialogue on the challenges and opportunities that shape the lives of autistic individuals across the country.
The invitation to Secretary Kennedy reflected the collective commitment of the participating organizations to partner with federal leadership and ensure that the voices of autistic individuals are centered in decision-making at all levels. We are hopeful that the Secretary accepts this earnest opportunity to engage with us, our networks and the community.
The roundtable is hosted by:
- The Autism Society of America (ASA)
- The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
- The Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD)
- The Autistic People of Color Fund (APOC Fund)
- The Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network (AWN)
- The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
- The Arc
- The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD)
The organizations hosting this Autism Roundtable express our deep disappointment that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not responded to our invitation to participate in this critical public dialogue.
Despite his stated interest in autism, Secretary Kennedy has chosen not to engage directly with the very community he claims to support unless it fits his own narrative of autism. At a time when federal decisions are having profound consequences for autistic people and their families, the absence of the nation’s top health official from this discussion sends a troubling message about the Administration’s priorities.
We urge Secretary Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services to demonstrate a stronger commitment to transparency, accountability, and inclusion by listening to—and acting on—the perspectives of autistic people themselves. Meaningful leadership requires showing up.
Signed by:
The Autism Society of America (ASA)
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
The Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD)
The Autistic People of Color Fund (APOC Fund)
The Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network (AWN)
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
The Arc of the United States
The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD)