Welcome!

The Albany Chapter of the Autism Society of America serves people living with Autism in the greater Capital District and their families.

Our mission is to promote lifelong access and opportunities for people on the autism spectrum and their families so they can be fully participating, included members of their communities. We do this through advocacy, public awareness, education, compassionate support and research related to autism. Our primary focus is on public awareness, education and compassionate support.

We currently hold 3 monthly support group meetings (one in Albany, one in Saratoga, and an Adult Aspie Social Group). Times and locations are posted on our website in the Upcoming Events Section to the right of this column. Helping children, adults, families, educate the providers and providing support all along this path, are all in the forefront as we move ahead together.

Albany ASA Conference in July - Featured Speaker, Paula Kluth

Building Inclusive, Literacy-Rich Classrooms for ALL Learners is the theme of this conference that our Chapter is presenting this year. The Conference will be on July 14, 2009 at Union College, Park Hall, in Schenectady, New York.

Dr. Kluth has written several books and brings a positive, realistic approach to inclusion and education, across all areas. Some of her books are: "A Land We Can Share" "Just Give Him the Whale" and "Joyful Learning." You can get more information on Paula Kluth from this website www.paulakluth.com.

The Chapter is very excited to have Dr. Kluth here to speak and hope you can join us. Registration is now available through our site HERE or by sending in our registration form (to be mailed soon).

Please call the office at 355-2191 if you have any questions or would like to receive a printed flyer.

Hope to see you there!

Walk & 5K Run for Autism Coming in September!

Don't forget to mark your calendars for Sunday, September 20, 2009 for our 6th Annual Walk and 5K Run in Central Park in Schenectady! There will be lots of fun, music, food, the playground is there, and of course we can all support each other as the Chapter gives back by raising funds for programs and research. (NOTE: If you click on the link to the right, under Upcoming Events, the schedule for the day is listed there.)

If you would like to volunteer on the Walk Committee, we would love to have you and you can call 355-2191 or e-mail to info@albanyautism.org. Or you can come to our next planning meeting on Monday, June 8, 2009 at Maple Ridge Center, 2999 Hamburg Street in Rotterdam at 6:30pm. This is a big event and we could use your help!

Another way we can use your help is in obtaining sponsorships and/or sponsoring an Information Table on the day of the event. If you can help with this, and need the forms, please contact our Chapter-see number and e-mail listed above-and we can send them to you. The Chapter also has featured a nice personal gesture of having "footprints" available to send a message to someone special. These are displayed on the fence at Central Park and can include pictures, notes or whatever you would like. Let us know if you would like these forms. They will also be included in the mailing, when the Walk flyers go out.

You can also REGISTER HERE for the Walk. Please consider bringing a Team with you--the more the merrier!

Thank you for all your past support and we look forward to another wonderful day spending time with so many people dedicated to helping family, friends, students, neighbors and all those affected by autism spectrum disorders.

ASA GALA 2009 - THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

The Albany Chapter of the Autism Society would like to thank all our sponsors, contributors, supporters, attendees and Committee and Glen Sanders for a successful 7th Annual Gala, which was held on Saturday, April 25, 2009. The food and music were great, the conversation was sparkling and it was a lovely night--thanks to all of you!

We would like to thank those sponsors who made it all possible:

Diamond Sponsor: Exit 9 Wine and Liquor Warehouse/Mark and Sharon O'Callaghan

Gold Sponsor: Kohl's Department Store

Bronze Sponsors: Cool Insuring

First National Bank of Scotia

Trustco Bank

Special thanks also to: Rich Becker as Emcee; Live Auctioneer LaGrande Serras; "Harmony" for last minute, wonderful entertainment; Ed Kear for help w/computer support, check-out; and Bob Barkowski for the evening's program design.

If you could not make it but would still like to make a contribution, you can do so by going to our website at www.albanyautism.org or mailing to Albany ASA, P.O. Box 3847, Schenectady, NY 12303-0847 or contacting the office at 518 355-2191. We appreciate all of your support!

Summer Camp List 

Due to the demand of our members, the Albany ASA has compiled a list of summer camps which are located within reasonable distance of the Capital District.  This list is not an endorsement of any one camp, nor a guarantee that the camp will be of benefit to a particular camper.  It’s simply a list of possibilities.  Parents, family and caregivers are urged to do the proper research when choosing a camp for their loved one.  The Chapter also provides camp scholarships to those who qualify. For guidelines and the application form, CLICK HERE.

NOTE: Applications are still being accepted, even though the application forms say the deadline is May 1. You can still send in your application, so make sure you submit it today!

• Camp Spectacular:  Two-week long social day camp experience for children who have autism spectrum disorders including those with Asperger’s syndrome, high functioning autism, and PDD-NOS.  Contact Chris Schelin (518)384-3080 or e-mail to schelin@cfdsny.org.
• Capital District Bicycle Camp:  http://www.stride.org/sports/biking/default.asp or www.albanyautism.org Click here for application 2009-10app
• Camp Huntington:  Camp Huntington is a co-ed, residential program for children and young adults with special learning and developmental needs.  Located in High Falls, NY. http://www.camphuntington.com
• Clover Patch Camp is operated by the Center for Disability Services, a not-for-profit organization consisting of a wide variety of programs designed to serve individuals with disabilities. Contact them at 384-3080 or www.cloverpatchcamp.org
• Easter Seals:  http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_camp
• The College of Saint Rose – Summer Academy for Youth; Grades 6-10.  http://www.strose.edu/Future_Students/Adult_Continuing_Education/Summer_Academy/default.asp or 518-454-5144.
• Camp Ramapo: Camp Ramapo serves children with a range of emotional and learning problems in a natural, outdoor environment. http://www.ramapoforchildren.org
• Wildwood - http://www.wildwood.edu/recreation/index.html
• Camp Kaleidoscope:  a non profit camp, dedicated to strengthening families through a holistic approach.  We support the unique needs of families in the autism community so they may enjoy a memorable vacation and create positive memories, side by side, with their loved ones.  www.cgcvt.org.
• Summit Camp & Travel: Summit Camp provides a summer camp experience for boys and girls ages 7-17 who have issues with attention such as Attention Deficit Disorder. Summit Travel works with older children, ages 15-19, who have similar issues.  www.summitcamp.com
• Camp Northwood: Provides quality programming to a coed population of socially immature, learning challenged children in need of structure and individualized attention. www.nwood.com
• Sportime 2009 Summer Camp in Schenectady, NY.  SPORTIME summer camp features special events and activities, including visits and training by the New York Buzz professional tennis team.  www.SportimeNY.com

ASA TO PROVIDE FUNDING TO NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

The Albany ASA is pleased to announce a new funding source from our Chapter. We are interested in funding special projects that will expand supports and services to individuals with autism spectrum disorders across the life span who reside in the 12 counties that the Chapter serves (Albany, Chenango, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren and Washington counties). Preference will be given to projects that are innovative and collaborative efforts among agencies, professionals, and individuals and have the potential to continue beyond the grant period.

For grant request process information click here. For the application click here.

Please note that the deadline for submissions has been extended indefinately. Applications will be accepted as long as there is money left in our budget allotted for these grants. If you have any questions, please contact our office at 518 355-2191 or info@albanyautism.org.

Albany ASA and Exceptional Parent Partners

The Albany ASA and Exceptional Parent have collaborated to offer subscribers a way to gather some awesome information and help the Chapter at the same time.

Exceptional Parent Magazine offers organizations the chance to raise money for the programs that are important to them. Exceptional Parent will donate $10 to the Albany Chapter for each subscription purchased.

We will be adding a link to this section to get started and sign-up online for your subscription. Now you can read some great articles and help our Chapter and local programs all at once! Thanks again for all you do!

SPECIAL NOTE: DAD'S GROUP

The Chapter would like to inform the public that if you are interested in a Dads Group, please contact Jim Swart at Parent to Parent at 381-4350x26 or jmswart1@verizon.net. So glad to know that Jim has offered to make this ever-important connection with Dads of children with special needs.

OMRDD's Platform to Address Autism Crisis

click here to view OMRDD document

click to view OMRDD document

REMEMBER, WE WANT TO SHARE.....

The Albany Chapter is happy to share all our photos from our events with you. It is an opportunity to see the programs that your generous donations help to provide. If you would like to see our photos and share in the fun, please go to Albums and click on the event you are interested in. If you have photos that you are interested in sharing, and have permission to post them, please send them to us at info@albanyautism.org.

Have you moved lately or have a new e-mail address? If so, please make sure you remember to let us know. You don't want to miss all the information and we want to keep in touch with you. Please either e-mail to info@albanyautism.org or call Cindy at 355-2191 with your update. Make sure you stay connected to the Albany ASA!

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In Memory of Bernard Rimland

To honor the late Bernard Rimland the Autism Research Institute (ARI) is selling puzzle pieces to fund research. Each puzzle piece costs one dollar, and can be purchased through the Albany ASA by calling 355-2191. The Puzzle Pieces will also be available in the ARI’s booth at every DAN!, Mini-DAN! and other major conferences. This project will continue until One Million Dollars are raised!

The goal of this project is to provide funding for research into possible environmental triggers of autism and to develop and validate effective treaments for individuals with autism.

http://www.autism.com/families/stories/huggins.htm

Educational Law Update

The Regulations of the Commissioner of Education have been amended to conform to IDEA 2004 and the final federal regulations to implement IDEA 2004.  The Commissioner's regulations, which were approved as an emergency action by the Board of Regents at their June 2007 meeting, are effective July 1, 2007.

http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/idea/announce7107.htm 

Events Calendar

Everyone is welcome at our events. To find out about our next meetings and events of interest to the autism community, check the Events Calendar.

Albany ASA Library

Ways You Can Help

Now you can raise money for the AlbanyChapter just by searching the Internet at GoodSearch.com.

You use GoodSearch.com like any other search engine — the site is powered by Yahoo! — but each time you do, money is generated for us. Here's how it works:

1. Go to www.goodsearch.com
2. Type "The Albany Chapter of the Autism Society of America" into the "I support" box and click on "verify"
3. Search the Internet just like you would with any search engine
4. Since GoodSearch shares its advertising revenue with charities and schools, every time you search the Internet at GoodSearch, you’ll be earning money for our chapter

The second way is by shopping on-line through iGive.com.

You could give up to 26% or more of each everyday purchase you make at no extra cost to you.

It doesn't cost a cent to join and once you're a member, every time you shop the Mall at iGive.com we can get a percentage of each purchase you make.

Just think of it ---- free money for the Albany Chapter of The Autism Society, your choice of over 600 nationally known online merchants like Barnes & Noble, Eddie Bauer, Home Depot, GAP, Best Buy, Lands' End, PETsMART, and you can even use e-Bay too! Your privacy is guaranteed, plus money-saving deals and specials every day!

We hope you can't resist!

Join www.iGive.com/Albanyasa now.