Take Action: Are you from Iowa or do you know someone in Iowa who has a child with autism?

Are you from Iowa or do you know someone in Iowa who has a child with autism or other disability who wanders?  If you answered yes to either or both of these, THIS message is for you!  Please send us your story like the sample below, and email it to [email protected].  This will help us gain congressional support for Avonte’s Law which would:

• Help reduce the risk of injury and death relating to wandering in individuals with autism and other disabilities
• Safeguard the well-being of individuals with disabilities during interactions with law enforcement
• Provide education and resources to law enforcement agencies, first responders, schools, clinicians, and the public in order to reduce the risk of wandering by such individuals
• Help to identify signs of abuse in such individuals
• Increase their personal safety and survival skills
• Facilitate effective communication with individuals who have communication-related disabilities
• Provide training and emergency protocols for school administrators, staff, and families
• Provide response tools and training for law enforcement and search-and-rescue agencies, including tracking technology; or provide response tools and training to law enforcement agencies in order to recognize and respond to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Require each law enforcement agency that receives a grant to comply with any such standards and best practices

Your voice, your story matters.  Please tell it today, Iowans.

Thank you!

Sample Letter:

To Whom It May Concern;

My son has autism & has wandered from multiple schools over the last seven years. Once he was found on a busy road by a stranger. The school did not report him missing. When the police got involved, they didn’t understand he had autism and mistook his inability to answer questions as defiance. The schools are not prepared for this issue, and police do not always know how to recognize when someone has autism. It’s terrifying and difficult to keep my child safe. Please do what you can to help children and adults with disabilities who are prone to wandering away.

Your name

(Your City) Iowa