January 27, 2025 | 8:30AM – 1pm

Autism Advocacy Day

The Autism Society Virginia affiliates are pleased to host our annual Autism Advocacy event at the Virginia General Assembly, in partnership with several fellow organizations and community members across the Commonwealth! We invite you to join us for a morning at the Virginia General Assembly and State Capitol on Monday, January 27, 2024.

This is an important day for members of Virginia’s Autism community to have in-person visits with your legislators, network with community members, and be recognized on the chamber floors to highlight our advocacy efforts. Register as soon as possible so we can begin scheduling your legislative appointments. We cannot schedule appointments without your registration information.

Registration closes on January 20th.

What You Need to Know

Schedule:

8:30 AM – Our room (7th floor House North Meeting Room) opens for gathering & picking up materials
9:00 – 11:00 AM – Appointments with Legislators (or their staff members) in small groups
11:30 AM – Meet in the Capitol Rotunda for a group photo (walk through the tunnel from the GA building to get to the Capitol)
12:00 PM – Introductions in House & Senate Chambers OR Lunch & Networking at the Meriwether’s Market (first floor of the General Assembly Building.
1:00 PM – Lunch for those coming from Senate & House Chambers at the NEW Meriwether’s Market (first floor of the General Assembly Building.

Parking:

The Virginia General Assembly Building is located 201 N 9th St, Richmond, VA 23219 (at 9th & Broad). If you are providing your own transportation, then you can find information about parking here.
It will be a BUSY day at the General Assembly, so we encourage you to take Uber or Lyft, and allow for extra time for traffic and security (and dress appropriately for the weather!).

What to Wear/Bring:

Please wear comfortable, business casual attire; keep in mind you might have to wait in the security line outside on your way in, so you may want to bundle up if it’s cold out. Prepare to carry everything you bring with you throughout the day; we cannot guarantee a place to store items like coats & purses.
Please review what is allowed or restricted to bring with you in the building here.
We will provide branded name tags and stickers, and we encourage you to wear any extra flair you’d like.
We will have handouts and materials, but please write up and bring your personal story (keep this to 1 page), a business card, additional fliers, etc.

How to Prepare for Autism Advocacy Day

Visit www.ascv.org/advocacy to familiarize yourself with current bills related to our legislative agenda.

Review our one-pagers and talking points; prepare your own personal talking points for your meetings with your legislators, asking them to support of specific bills. Be sure to include WHY the issues are so important to you. Keep your talking points to 1-2 minutes.
We will be sure to stay in touch with you leading up to Autism Advocacy Day with additional details.
If you have questions in the meantime, please reach out to [email protected].
Download and our share info flier with people in your community who want to get involved!