April 1 – 30, 2023
Hoboken Public Library honors and celebrates Autism Acceptance Month with programs for all ages!
For a complete list of all Autism Acceptance Month events happening at HPL, please click here.
Click here for a curated reading list of guide to fiction and nonfiction titles for adults, teens, and children, as well as resources for Autism Acceptance Month.
History of Autism Acceptance Month
The Autism Society of America, the United States’ oldest leading grassroots autism organization, is celebrating Autism Acceptance Month (AAM) in April 2021. This month was previously known as Autism Awareness Month, but this year, the Autism Society is taking to social media to assist it in changing the title to Autism Acceptance Month. In 1970, the organization launched an ongoing national effort to promote autism awareness and to assure that all autistic people are able to achieve the highest quality of life possible. The first annual National Autistic Children’s week commenced in 1972, which evolved into AAM.
The shift in terminology fosters acceptance to ignite change through improved support and opportunities in education, employment, accessible housing, affordable health care, and comprehensive long-term services. Acceptance is so integral that the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) has been referring to April as Autism Acceptance Month since 2011, expressing that accepting autism as a natural condition is “necessary for real dialogue to occur.” The Autism Society of America is also advocating the federal government to officially designate April as “Autism Acceptance Month” since there has never been a formal designation for AAM.
The United Nations has, however, designated April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day that is commemorated internationally.
Works Cited: The University of Alabama at Birmingham Institute for Human Rights
Links/Organizations
Updated 3/17/2023 – AB
