Please circulate widely:

Autreat 2008 Call for Proposals

Autreat is a retreat-style conference run by Autism Network
International, for autistic people and our families, friends,
supporters, and interested professionals. We are accepting
presentation proposals for Autreat 2008, to be held Monday-Friday,
June 23-27, 2008, at a small campus near the New York-Pennsylvania
border, approximately 80 miles from Buffalo.

FOR HELP PREPARING A PROPOSAL:

If you want to submit a proposal but you have trouble reading these
instructions and putting your proposal in the requested format,
contact Jane Meyerding, jmeyerding (@) earthlink.net, for help. Send only
plain text messages, with no attachments.

WHAT KINDS OF WORKSHOPS ARE WANTED AT AUTREAT?

Autreat is very different from typical autism conferences:

WHEN PREPARING A PROPOSAL FOR CONSIDERATION, BE AWARE THAT THE
*PRIMARY* AUDIENCE AT AUTREAT IS AUTISTIC PEOPLE.

Parents and professionals do attend, and most who attend find the
presentations to be of interest, but Autreat is basically autistic
space.

Be sure your information is being presented in a manner that is both
helpful to and respectful of autistic people.

We expect that you will be speaking *to* us, not speaking to
non-autistic people *about* us.

We are interested in presentations, by either autistic or non-autistic
people, about POSITIVE WAYS OF LIVING WITH AUTISM, about functioning
as autistic people in a neurotypical world, and about the disability
movement and its significance for autistic people.

We are *not* interested in presentations about how to cure, prevent,
or overcome autism.

We do *not* appreciate having non-autistic people come into our space
to talk to each other about how difficult we are to deal with, or how
heroic they are for putting up with us.

If your presentation is geared toward the interests of parents or
professionals, it should focus on positive ways of appreciating and
supporting autistic people, not on reinforcing negative attitudes
about autism and autistic people.

AUTREAT AIMS TO BE WELCOMING AND RELEVANT TO THE BROADEST POSSIBLE
CROSS-SECTION OF THE AUTISTIC POPULATION.

Autreat is attended by autistic people who speak and by autistic
people who do not speak;

by autistic people who communicate fluently and by autistic people who
have limited communication;

by autistic people who live independently and by autistic people who
need intensive support with daily living;

by autistic people who have jobs and by autistic people who live on
disability benefits;

by autistic people who are able to present as "socially acceptable"
and by autistic people who require support to help them manage their
behavior;

by autistic people who have been labeled "high-functioning" and by
autistic people who have been labeled "low-functioning"--including
some autistic people who have had *both* labels, at different times or
under different circumstances.

While it is not expected that any one presentation will be of interest
to each and every autistic person, we do look for presentations that
will appeal to the widest possible audience.

We are *not* interested in presentations that reinforce what we
consider to be artificial distinctions between members of our
community who are labeled "low-" vs."high-functioning."

A NOTE ABOUT "PERSONAL EXPERIENCE" PRESENTATIONS:

Be aware that everyone at Autreat either knows what it's like to be
autistic, or knows what it's like to care about someone who is
autistic.

All of us have our own personal stories. Presentations about the
presenters' personal stories are not going to generate much interest,
unless you're able to use your story in a way that will help other
people to share and understand their own experiences in a new way.

Your proposal should describe what participants can expect to get out
of your presentation, not just what personal experiences you're going
to talk about.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PRESENTATION TOPICS OF INTEREST

If you have never attended Autreat before, please review the ANI web
site (http://www.ani.ac) and the past Autreat brochures
(http://www.ani.ac/past-workshops.htm), and contact Jim Sinclair
(jisincla (@) syr.edu) if you have questions, to make sure you understand
what Autreat is about and whether your topic is relevant to ANI's
philosophy.

WHAT IS EXPECTED OF PRESENTERS?

If you submit a proposal, we expect you to be available to attend
Autreat if we accept your proposal, and to give your presentation on
the day and time scheduled. We make every effort to accommodate
presenters' preferences in setting the Autreat schedule, but it is not
always possible to give every presenter his or her preferred time
slot.

Presenters are expected to send advance copies of any handouts or
slides they plan to use, so that we can prepare alternate format
copies for print-impaired attendees.

Presenters are expected to submit an article on their topic for
inclusion in the program book. These also need to be submitted in a
timely manner, so we can prepare copies in alternate formats.

Presenters are expected to consent for their presentations to be
recorded, and for the recordings to be sold by Autism Network
International.

Presenters are invited to attend all of Autreat. If presenters opt not
to attend the entire event, they are expected to arrive on-site by
8:30 a.m. for afternoon presentations, and to arrive the night before
for morning presentations.

Please be prepared to meet these expectations if you decide to submit
a proposal.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR THE PRESENTERS?

Autreat presenters receive free registration, including on-site meals
and lodging in a shared (2-person) room.

ANI is a volunteer-run, member-supported grassroots organization with
minimal funding. We cannot reimburse for off-site expenses, nor can we
pay travel expenses or honoraria. If your proposal is accepted, we
will send you a formal letter of invitation if this would help you in
raising your own travel funds.

Presenters are entitled to receive one free copy of the recording of
their presentations.

PROPOSALS SHOULD INCLUDE:

* Your name and title (if any) exactly as you want them listed in
program materials should your proposal be accepted

* Contact information (address, phone, fax and/or email if you have them)

* Title of your proposed presentation

* Detailed description for consideration by the Planning Committee

* Brief (5 sentences or less) abstract exactly as you want it listed
in program materials should your proposal be accepted

* Indicate ONE theme that BEST relates to your proposed presentation:

[ ] Advocacy skills
[ ] Life skills/adaptive strategies
[ ] Helpful support services
[ ] Communication
[ ] Social/interpersonal issues
[ ] Autistic community and culture
[ ] Education
[ ] Employment
[ ] Family issues
[ ] Residential issues
[ ] Disability rights and politics
[ ] Autism research and theory
[ ] Other (describe):

* Indicate which group(s) you believe would find your proposed
presentation of interest. Check as many as apply. Briefly describe
what your presentation would offer to each group:

[ ] Autistic adults
[ ] Autistic teenagers
[ ] Family members of autistic people
[ ] Educators
[ ] Clinicians
[ ] Service providers
[ ] Other (specify):

* Brief (5 sentences or less) presenter bio exactly as you want it
listed in program materials should your proposal be accepted

* Any audiovisual equipment you would need for your presentation

If you have never presented at Autreat before, please also include an
introduction for the Planning Committee summarizing your relevant
experience, including any presentations or other education/advocacy
activities elsewhere, and the nature of your interest in autism and/or
in general disability issues.

PROPOSAL DEADLINE:

April 1, 2008

HOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

Proposals can be submitted via email to Jim Sinclair
(jisincla (@) syr.edu), or via postal mail to ANI at the address below, or
submitted online at http://www.ani.ac/aut08cfp.php.

WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO PRESENT, BUT I HAVE AN IDEA FOR A PRESENTATION
I'D LIKE TO SEE?

If you want to make suggestions for Autreat presentations, or make
comments about previous presentations or presenters, please fill out
the questionnaire available at http://www.ani.ac/autplan2.php.

Autism Network International
P.O. Box 35448
Syracuse NY 13235
USA