The Virginia Autism Society Virginia affiliates are pleased to host our annual Autism Advocacy event at the Virginia General Assembly, in partnership with several fellow organizations and community members across the Commonwealth! We invite you to join us for a morning at the Virginia General Assembly and State Capitol on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

This is an important day for members of Virginia’s Autism community to have in-person visits with your legislators, network with community members, and be recognized on the chamber floors to highlight our advocacy efforts.

During our meetings with legislators, we will ask them to support pieces of legislation that enhance services and supports for autistic individuals and their families. At noon, we will be introduced and recognized in the Senate and House chambers. All are also invited to connect with each other over lunch at Meriwether’s Market in the nearby SunTrust building to network and debrief our legislative meetings. There will not be any lunch vouchers, so please bring your own funds. The day will wrap up by 2 pm.

Register HERE as soon as possible so we can begin scheduling your legislative appointments. We cannot schedule appointments without your registration information.

Schedule for the Day:

  • 8:45 AM – Our room opens for gathering & picking up materials
  • 9:00 – 11:00 AM – Appointments with Legislators in small groups
  • 11:15 AM – Meet to walk over to the Capitol Building for introductions on the Senate and House floors.
  • 12:00 PM – Introductions in House & Senate Chambers OR Lunch & Networking at the NEW Meriwether’s Market in the General Assembly Building.
  • 1:00 PM – Lunch for those coming from Senate & House Chambers at the NEW Meriwether’s Market in the General Assembly Building.

Parking Information:
The Virginia General Assembly Building is located 201 N 9th St, Richmond, VA 23219 (at 9th & Broad). If you are providing your own transportation, then you can find information about parking here. It will be a BUSY day at the General Assembly, so we encourage you to take Uber or Lyft, and allow for extra time for traffic and security (and dress appropriately for the weather!).

What to wear/bring:

  • Please wear comfortable, business casual attire; keep in mind you might have to wait in the security line outside on your way in, so you may want to bundle up if it’s cold out.  Prepare to carry everything you bring with you throughout the day; we cannot guarantee a place to store items like coats & purses.
  • Please review what is allowed or restricted to bring with you in the building here.
  • We will provide branded name tags and stickers, and we encourage you to wear any extra flair you’d like.
  • We will have handouts and materials, but please write up and bring your personal story (keep this to 1 page), a business card, additional fliers, etc.

Questions?  Please reach out to [email protected] or the organization attending from your area: 

Autism Society of Central Virginia:  Ann Flippin
Autism Society of Tidewater Virginia:  Al Howard
Autism Society of Northern Virginia:  Sharon Cummings
Virginia Autism Project: Teresa Champion 
Commonwealth Autism & LRIDD: Brian Kelmar