Here are some places you can find autistic communities:
- Local meetup groups. Some autistic groups meet using a site called meetup.com.
You can search “autism group” on that website to find groups near you. - Autistic Self Advocacy Network affiliate groups. ASAN has a list of groups that we work with. You can check and see if there is one near you. The list is at https://autisticadvocacy.org/get-involved/affiliate-groups/
- People First groups.
Most states have People First groups for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. People First groups work on self-advocacyStanding up for yourself so you get what you need. and fight for our rights. You can find a list of People First groups at https://www.peoplefirst.org/usa/ - College groups.
Some colleges have groups for disabled people. Some groups include all disabled people, while others are just for autistic people. Most colleges have a website for groups. People who aren’t students can’t always get to these websites. If you are a student, it is a good place to look, but if not, you can try to call or email the colleges and ask.
Sometimes there are conferences for autistic people. A conferenceWhen people from many different places get together. They all talk about a specific thing, like autism. is when people from many different places get together and talk about a specific thing, like autism. Conferences usually happen once a year.