MiA3 Committee

Nothing about us without us! Decisions that impact members of a disadvantaged minority group should not be made without input and feedback from the members of that community.

MiA3 is a committee of autistic adults who came together to represent autistic people in Michigan. Important decisions that impact our lives are often made by politicians and leaders around the state without consulting us or including us in the discussion. This committee allows us to get a diverse group of autistic voices to the table!

Committee Members

All autistic adults in Michigan are welcome to join MiA3. Leadership is voted in by committee members. Our current leadership includes several zone leads representing MiA3 throughout Michigan.

Zone	Counties	Leads
1	Upper Peninsula	Stefanie Rotta (temp)
2	Emmet, Charlevoix, Antrim, Kalkaska, Leland, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee	Shannon Moore (temp)
3	Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Crawford, Oscoda, Alcona, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco	Shannon Moore & Stefanie Rotta
4	Mason, Lake, Osceola, Oceana, Newaygo, Mecosta, Muskegon, Montcalm, Ottawa, Kent, Ionia, Allegan, Barry	Amy Duffy-Barnes
5	Clare, Gladwin, Arenac, Isabella, Midland, Bay, Gratiot, Saginaw	Ian Weller & Katie Oswald
6	Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair
7	Clinton, Eaton, Ingham	Aileen Hecht
8	Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph, Branch
9	Livingston, Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Monroe	Victoria Bennett
10	Oakland, Macomb, Wayne	Jasmine Lester & Jessica Stewart

Additional MiA3 leadership roles include

Eliot Carter, Accessibility Coordinator
Jasmine Lester, Secretary
Jenna Friedman, Education Lead
Jessica Stewart, Marketing
Katie Oswald, Chair

Why is this committee important?

There are many issues of concern impacting the autistic community that aren’t being discussed by people creating state policies about autism. Some of these issues include

Unemployment or underemployment
Poverty
Homelessness
Abuse, victimization, and interpersonal violence
Loneliness and/or isolation
Lack of mobility/transportation
Lack of access to healthcare and higher rates of health problems
Poor mental health outcomes, including severe depression, anxiety, PTSD, burnout
High suicide rate
Reduced life expectancy

These are urgent issues that need to be addressed in our society.

How does the committee work?

MiA3 meets monthly; we meet virtually as the committee on odd months and attend Michigan Autism Council meetings on the even months.

The committee is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information, data, and stories from autistic peers in their county or region through informal discussions and more formal data collection. Zone leads will lead this work in their regions.

Committee members will identify the biggest challenges facing our community and possible strategies to improve the situation. We will report findings to the Michigan Autism Council, local and state politicians, and concerned community members who can help solve these problems by partnering with us.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility

Autistic people experience burnout at much higher rates than others and it is to be expected that sometimes a person may need 2-3 months off for recovery. Committee members will not be denied the time they need to prevent or recover from burnout, whether a secondary or backup is available. The committee will do its best to represent constituents from any region with or without an active committee member for that region.

For all committee members, alternate communication methods will be accepted as equally valid as speech. Accommodations can be made for those who will need support in carrying out their responsibilities. This can include having a support person with them in meetings and to help carry out their work (alongside them, not for them).

Virtual meeting attendance will always be an option for committee members. This is important for inclusion of members who can’t drive, can’t afford transportation, and/or struggle to leave the house because of overwhelm.

Members will be welcome to request specific accommodations as needed or ask for help from committee members in identifying needed accommodations.

The autistic community is diverse, and this diversity should be represented on the committee as much as possible. We hope to have representation from the following identities and expand over time to include even more diverse representation.

Formally diagnosed
Self-diagnosed
Those diagnosed as children
Those diagnosed as adults
Folks with a variety of support needs
Nonspeakers
Those with intellectual disability
LGBTQ+
Men, women, transgender, and gender nonbinary
Those with different co-occurring disabilities/conditions (ADHD, OCD, Tourette’s, etc.)
Range of ages
Racial diversity
Socioeconomic diversity
Diverse cultural backgrounds
Nonnative English speakers

Any other identities are welcome, too! This is just a starting point.

The reason this diversity is so important is because people with different identities have different challenges and many people are underrepresented. Many of these minorities within a minority group have more urgent needs like severe mental illness, suicidality, and homelessness.

Getting Involved

If you or someone you know would like to join or otherwise support the committee, you can get started by filling out this Google Form: https://forms.gle/q82LYH5D7Fs2snK87

One or more of the following skills are needed to serve on the committee. If you don’t currently have these skills, a willingness to work with peers to learn these skills can work in most cases.

Connect broadly with peers in your region
Help develop and conduct a survey
Assist with data analysis and reporting
Report to Michigan Autism Council, local politicians, and community members
Advocate and stand up for the needs of autistic adult community

Contact

For more information, contact Katie Oswald, MiA3 Chair, or Jasmine Lester, MiA3 Secretary at MIAutisticCommittee@gmail.com