AUTISM NETWORK INTERNATIONAL

Things you will not find at Autreat:

Crowded, noisy hotel or conference center
Exhausting, intensive schedule
Inescapable sensory bombardment
Pressure to interact if you don't want to
Focus on "celebrities"
Focus on causes, cures, or ways to make us more normal

Open, outdoor camp setting with plenty of room to get away and be alone or with friends.
Smoke-free, perfume-free environment
Opportunity to explore autistic social contacts if desired
Respect for the choice to be left alone, if preferred
Focus on positive aspects of autism
Child care for autistic and non-autistic children ages 4-14
71 hours of continuous immersion in an autistic-friendly environment

Some cabins, and all buildings where workshops will be held, are wheelchair accessible. Two fully accessible bathrooms, including roll-in showers, are available in the infirmary.

Half of the camp and cabins are designated as a "quiet zone" after 9 pm. Night owls are welcome to stay up and chat as late as they wish on the other half of the camp, which includes the fire circles.

The facility is not completely paved, but there is paving between the dining hall, infirmary, both sides of the pond, the fire circle, the arts and crafts building, the pool and some of the cabins.

Meals are served buffet-style in the dining hall. Our vegetarian menu has been popular with both adults and children, and includes alternatives to accommodate selective eaters.

In order to maintain Autreat as "autistic space," non-autistic professionals and family members who are attending without an accompanying autistic person, and who are new to ANI and unfamiliar with Autreat protocol, are asked to register for days only and commute from local hotels.

CHILD CARE: A camp activities program for children (with and without disabilities) ages 4-14 is available for an additional fee of $15 per half-day session ($90 for the full three days). Reservations should be made ASAP.

NO ALCOHOL and NO SMOKING are allowed anywhere within the campground. This is a camp rule required for insurance purposes, and it will be enforced. Anyone found in violation of this rule will be asked to leave. No refunds will be given. In consideration of the respiratory and sensory sensitivities of many of our members, NO perfume, colognes, hairspray or other scented personal care products are to be worn within the camp (unscented deodorant is fine). People who choose to leave the camp to smoke should be sure they have cleansed all smoke residue from their persons and clothing before returning to camp.

ANI is not able to provide personal assistance for people who need help caring for themselves or participating in this program. If you need help with self-care, communication, orientation, or behavior control, please make your own arrangements to have someone with you to assist you.

BACK TO BASICS: The Fundamental Principles

Cal Montgomery, writer, speaker, and activist focusing on disability issues

In 1975, a group of British disabled people came together to discuss the "fundamental principles" of disability, and how those principles should guide activism. In the past 25 years, a great deal of interesting activism and research has been done based on social-model principles. We will discuss the fundamental principles to see whether - and if so, how - they apply to our lives. A reading list for further study will be provided.

HOW TO PLAY WITH DOLLS: For Kids and Adults

Jim Sinclair, disability educator and consultant, coordinator of Autism Network International

For purposes of this workshop, a "doll" may be any inanimate object that we play with by imagining it to have aspects of personhood. This includes the traditional toy-human type of doll, as well as toy animals, and any other toys or objects that our imaginations transform into living entities. In this intergenerational workshop, we will share and explore different ways autistic people can use doll play for fun and for learning, and ways that parents, educators, and therapists can use doll play to help autistic people in developing skills and understanding. You'll also get to meet some of Jim's Hercules and Xena action figures! Participants are invited to bring their own favorite dolls and doll stories.

Music: What Is It, What Does It Mean To Us, and How Can We Use It?

Katja Gottschewski, musician and music therapist, Bodø, Norway

In this workshop, we will explore different aspects of music. We will look at differences and similarities in how we as individuals or as AC's and NT's define and experience music. It will be discussed how we can communicate through music. How is music different from language? Can music be a bridge between AC's and NT's? Other functions of music will also be discussed.

"On Paper I'm Free": The Role of Written Word in the Lives of ACs

Sola Shelly, writer and poet, recently-recognized as a Cousin

This workshop will discuss the nature of written words as an AC friendly medium. The various functions of written words in the lives of AC people, for self-preservation, interpersonal connections, and community building will be explored and illustrated. The format will be of a structured, moderated group discussion.

Dave Spicer, consultant to TEACCH and the Autism Society of North Carolina, ASNC Board Member

Being autistic in ways that work, finding effective ways of dealing with everyday autistic life. By pooling our wisdom and experience, we will build a "knowledge base" which will then be made available in printed form. Version 1.0 will appear after the first session; it will be revised and reissued after the second.

Jim Sinclair, disability educator and consultant, coordinator of AutismNetwork International

Disability advocates are frequently confronted with the need to balance concerns about legitimate needs to teach and enforce standards of acceptable behavior, against the reality that techniques of behavior "management" are routinely used on developmentally disabled people that would be considered unacceptable if applied to nondisabled learners. In this workshop we will discuss both ethical principles and practical approaches for developing responsible self-management in autistic people. Though addressed primarily to parents and others who are in supervisory and teaching positions with autistic people, some of the concepts presented may also be helpful to independent autistic people (or those working toward independence) in thinking about how to balance their autistic sensibilities with the demands of the neurotypical world.

Sisyphus Condemned: The Use of Power

Cal Montgomery, writer, speaker, and activist focusing on disability issues

Who decides? and How? are two fundamental questions about power. What is power? Who has it? Who wants it? What does it mean to have power? How is power used? And what does this mean for autistic people and those who live and work with autistic people? We will discuss power - focusing specifically on the ways in which power and powerlessness become issues in the lives of disabled people - and its use and abuse

Mayer Shevin, private consultant, and associate of Syracuse University's Facilitated Communication Institute

Many parents and families seek guardianship for their children with disabilities, as a way of protecting those people from exploitation, and as a way of providing supports which that person might sometimes need in certain aspects of decision-making. However, guardianship typically involves a finding of incompetence, and leads to a life-long loss of autonomy and basic civil rights. This presentation will identify some of the alternatives which exist to guardianship, and will include an open discussion on peoples' experiences which point toward non-oppressive and non-coercive support of decision-making.

Fipple Night is an Autreat tradition dating back to 1996, our first year. It's an informal get-together to make music and sing. Just show up after dinner (exact time and location will be posted on the bulletin board near the registration tables; if weather permits I'd like us to meet around the campfire) and bring any you have of the following:

• instruments to play (and, if not too delicate, maybe to share)
• lyrics or sheet music to play and sing from (if you have or can borrow any)
• songs or music you have in your head and want to share
• your own voice, if you want to sing

Also, I'd like a couple of volunteers to help build and maintain the campfire, and help keep kids safe around it.

I'll be bringing 2 pennywhistles, some recorders, a simple harmonica, a kazoo, a slide-whistle, a lollipop drum, and a lyrics book from the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston. Among other things, the FSSGB book has musical notation for some rounds that I think I can teach.

If you are coming to meet other autistic people, please understand that some people will also want to meet you, but some will not be into meeting people, and their own choice must also be respected.

If you want to come but do not want to meet or talk to people, you are still welcome to attend. You will be given a color-coded badge which you can use to indicate if you want to be approached only by people you already know, or don't want to be approached at all by anyone.

If you are a parent, a teacher, or other service provider, and are bringing an autistic child or student or client because you hope the person will make social connections with others, please adopt the same position of providing opportunity, but not pressure.

Only adults paying full cost ($165 for members or $185 for non-members) may earn $20 work shift rebate.

Days-only registration, includes all meals:

Rates WITHOUT meals:

Per-day rate, for those attending less than the full Autreat (includes all meals):

All registration fees for Autreat 2000 are the same as last year.

We are still pursuing sponsorship possibilities to bring the fee down lower. If you are able to pay the full amount, or to get local sponsorship in your area to cover the full amount, this will allow ANI to use any donations for people who have no other way to attend. If you want to come and are unable to pay the registration, please contact ANI to see if funding is available. Contributions to our scholarship fund are most welcome.