The Illinois State Library and the Illinois Secretary of State teamed up last week to host the second annual “Targeting Autism” forum, a national conference that creates a platform for discussion and networking between parents and administrators.

This year, the conference welcomed former ABC News correspondents John Donvan and Caren Zucker, the two New York Times bestselling authors of the book In a Diff erent Key: The Story of Autism. At the end of their discussion, Donvan and Zucker received the Illinois Literary Heritage award from Illinois’ Secretary of State Jesse White. The Illinois Literary Heritage award recognizes the contributions of authors and publishers whose work offers a new or extraordinary perspective to literature.

The state library created the “Targeting Autism” project to form a broader network of people who have the designated task of understanding the needs of people with autism.

At least 100 librarians, teachers and parents from all over attended the twoday conference in Springfield, looking for tips and ideas to understand the needs of people with an autistic spectrum disorder, a condition which disrupts a person’s social and communication skills.

“There is a gap between what awareness is and what knowledge is,” said Suzanne Schriar, the library’s project director for the “Target Autism” program grant. “This conference welcomes a network of librarians and stakeholders who want to help transitioning adults find jobs and learn to deal with the ‘invisible disability’ in the same way the Americans with Disabilities Act deals with it.”

The discussion pointed out that children and adults who have autism often feel alone even around other people because of the public’s lack of understanding for people on the autism spectrum.

Donvan and Zucker provide a glimmer of hope for the audience as they described meeting Donald Triplett, the first person in history to be diagnosed with autism, and how Triplett’s community in Mississippi was supportive and protective of him.

Zucker laughs as she remembers that neighbors would say, “We’ll introduce you to Donald but if you mess with him in any way we will track you down and get you,” when they came to town to conduct interviews.

The state library wants to mirror that kind of community support.

“We need to reach out and understand who we are serving,” Schriar said. “We are not treating the disorder, but be can connect families and patrons to resources so that there is this feeling of inclusiveness.”

Participants at the conference asked questions about what resources are available for supporting people with autism beyond the age of 18. The general consensus by the authors and participants was that continuous research on the subject is the best way.

Academic administrators have to balance support with independence to students in need even at the collegiate level.

Mary DiMaggio, access services assistant at Lincoln Land Community College, and Amanda Wiesenhofer, electronic resources and library systems administrator, attended the event representing a team of Lincoln Land students who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

For DiMaggio, attending the conference touched a professional and personal component in her life because her son has been diagnosed with autism.

Both DiMaggio and Wiesenhofer believed that the conference was helpful.

“Our library works to supports students with autism,” Wiesenhofer said. “Discussions like this provide great professional development for the staff.”

The “Targeting Autism” program was funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through a National Leadership Forum Grant of $100,000.

“Our goal,” Schriar said, “is to become more welcoming and understanding to kids and adults on the spectrum.”

Contact Brittany Hilderbrand at [email protected].