In 2021, Emory University held its very first series of events for Autism Celebration Month. Traditionally, in April each year, autism organizations and communities have honored Autism Awareness Month or World Autism Day (April 2nd). Our neurodiverse planning committee of students, staff and faculty chose to rename and reframe the events as Celebration to highlight the positive aspects of the lived autistic experience and help others in the Emory community and beyond learn about the gifts, strengths, interests and passions of autistic and neurodivergent individuals. Over the years, we have continued to host these annual events – a mixture of in-person and virtual events – which include student-led showcases of autistic interests and talents, an Autistic Student Panel (virtual), a Research Symposium (virtual, and featuring neurodivergent researchers), and our 3rd annual Autistic Student Graduation Celebration, honoring our autistic student graduates from the 2025-2026 academic year. Learn more about this year’s events here.

Impact of Your Gift 

Your donations through this campaign will support Emory University's 2026 Autism Celebration Month events. These events require a modest budget to support event space, catering, speaker fees and honoraria, accessibility supports, and gifts. We are especially excited to present our graduating students with special graduation stoles, designed and produced by an autistic entrepreneur.