PIECING THE

PUZZLE
TOGETHER-
RAISING
AUTISM
AWARENESS
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROJECT
PROPOSAL

Created by: Elizabeth Tully and

Mikayla Nava
COM 495
PROJECT OVERVIEW
“Piecing the Puzzle Together – Raising Autism
Awareness” is a civic engagement project that
raises awareness for those who are unfamiliar
with people in the community who are on the
autism spectrum. The project will be
partnering with Hills & Dales and holding an
event on the University of Dubuque's campus.
This event will feature a speaker who will be
talking about the specifics of autism.
WHAT IS HILLS & DALES?
Hills & Dales mission statement is as follows, “Hills and
Dales is dedicated to building meaningful lives for
individuals with disabilities by offering services that
support the whole person and enhance community
inclusion.” They are a nonprofit organization that has
programs available for every age group. One of the
programs is the Residential Center that serves 59
individuals who receive care all year around, 24 hours a
day. Home and Community Based Services (HCBS)
provides an option for the family to stay together at their
home. This means that they have services available to
keep clients safe and healthy. Also, there is a program
called Day Habilitation, this is meant to enhance daily life
skills. They offer Autism & Specialty Services that offer
an individualized plan based on what the client needs. This
can include education, case management, and strategies.

WHY HILLS & DALES IS

IMPORTANT
Without the services Hills & Dales provide, there would be
families who might be left without options. This is
especially important because having Hills & Dales in
Dubuque, people don't need to uproot when they need a
service that Hills and Dales offers. People with Autism get
the support and care from them because they build
specific plans of improvement for them.
AUTISM AWARENESS - WHY IS IT
NEEDED?
According to the CDC's Autism and Developmental
Disabilities Monitoring Network, "1 in 59 children has been
identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)". That is a
big statistic, which many people are unaware about.
John Elder Robison, an autism advocate, posted a
question on social media regarding people's opinions
about those who are on the spectrum. His post started
with about 25 comments, but increased to over 600
within a few days. He received responses such as,
"Autism is just an excuse for bad behavior" and "Leave him
be he will grow out of it". Some people commented that
autistic people should not receive services. Some people
put the blame on parents of those with autism saying,
"You're just a bad parent" and "If that kid lived with me this
wouldn't happen". This activity done by Robison shows
how people are ignorant to autism and those who are the
spectrum. When people who are advocates for autism see
such comments like this, it is even more of a reason to get
out there to educate and raise awareness for the autism
community.

John Elder Robison

 PROBLEM
The problem is that people are unaware of the toll
autism has on the individual and family. People
aren't exceedingly understanding of what the
individual may need help improving on. A lot of times
people don't get what it means to be on the autism
spectrum. Hills and Dales offers a great deal of
support to the community, and in return they need
support from everyone in the community.
SOLUTION
The project is based around raising awareness for
those on the Autism Spectrum and how Hills and
Dales makes their lives more meaningful. The project
is meant to inform the public of what it takes to build
a plan for those with Autism, why it is important that
people support services like Hills and Dales, and
what people can do in their daily life to make an
impact. An event will be on University of Dubuque's
campus so it will hopefully reach students with a
future career in working with individuals who live with
Autism. Also, the goal of this event is to educate
those who know little or none about the autism
spectrum. People with autism are just as important
as those without autism and by holding a forum on
UD's campus, this will give students/faculty insight
on how to be advocates for these individuals. In
addition to the speaker, there will also be bracelets
or stickers available to everyone who attends.
TIMELINE
1. CONTACT HILLS & DALES TO
SEE IF THEY WILL PARTICIPATE
AT THE EVENT
Date: 2/18/2019
Stage: Approval
Resources: Deanne Althoff at Hills & Dales
2. FILL OUT A UD EVENT/ROOM
RESERVATION REQUEST FORM
Date: 2/22/2019
Stage: Approval
Resources: UD Online Event/Room Reservation Request 6. TALK TO THE OFFICE OF
Form STUDENT RELATIONS TO GET
3. ASK A UD ORGANIZATION TO APPROVAL TO POST FLYERS
FUND OUR EVENT (BRACELETS, Date: 3/29/2019
FOOD) Stage: Approval
Date: 3/4/2019 Resources: The office of Student Relations
Stage: Approval 7. PUT OUT FLYERS FOR EVENT
Resources: Student Activities Board or Student
Government Association Date: 4/3/2018 - Tentative
4. COME UP WITH BRACELET Stage: Distribution
DESIGN & BUY BRACELETS Resources: UD Campus, Social Media, and
Spartan Scoop
Date: 3/15/2019
Stage: Production 8. HOST EVENT ON CAMPUS
Resources: Envision, or other screen printing places in Date: 4/10/2019
town for ideas and prices Stage: -
Resources: Blades Chapel
5. START DESIGNING FLYERS FOR 9. COMPLETE ANALYSIS AFTER
EVENT EVENT
Date: 3/22/19 Date: 4/12/2019
Stage: Production Stage: -
Resources: Canva Resources: Canva
RESOURCES
Hills and Dales Website https://www.hillsdales.org/site/
“Ignorance, Autism, and the Things People
Say.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers,
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/my-life-
aspergers/201302/ignorance-autism-and-the-things-
people-say.
“Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder |
CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html.