Project Summary

Autistic people* and autistic and non-autistic parents/caregivers of people on the autism spectrum need to be a part of research teams. This helps make sure research focuses on what matters to the autistic community and what truly improves health and quality of life.

There are many barriers to participation, especially in a rural state like Vermont. Some of these barriers include a housing shortage, transportation issues, and a lack of healthcare access and support personnel. Community members have little time and energy left to engage as partners in research. There is also mistrust between autistic and non-autistic people, especially in the healthcare and research world.

*People use different words to talk about autism. In this project we say "autistic person" and "person on the autism spectrum." Many autistic people prefer these words.¹

We designed this project together as a group of autistic and non-autistic partners to achieve the following goals:

• Build trust with the Vermont autism community.
• Learn how to engage more autistic adults and parents/caregivers as research partners in a sustainable manner.
• Create training and resources for new team members.