The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) announces that a newly-created Easy Read version of its plain language toolkit, “They Work For Us: A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Getting Through to your Elected Officials” is now available online. The original was released in February.

The Easy Read Edition uses pictures along with text, and has more white space. It’s written in easy-to-understand language and is screenreader-friendly. This version of the toolkit is divided into nine parts, including “Who has the power to make laws?”, “How can I talk to my elected officials?”, and “All about voting”. This Easy Read toolkit covers:

• Who our elected officials are
• How to contact your elected officials
• Strategies, scripts, and templates to help you effectively communicate with your elected officials
• How to use social media for political advocacy
• The basics of voting: why, how, and when

They Work For Us: Easy Read Edition is the latest entry in ASAN’s ongoing series of toolkits covering the basics of civic engagement. These toolkits aim to help people with disabilities become active participants in our democracy. ASAN encourage everyone to share this toolkit widely so that as many self-advocates as possible have the tools they need to tell lawmakers: Nothing about us without us!

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to autism. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal access, rights, and opportunities. We work to empower autistic people across the world to take control of our own lives and the future of our common community, and seek to organize the autistic community to ensure our voices are heard in the national conversation about us.