Autism Acceptance Month in SFUSD Link to this section
Published in Chinese in the Sing Tao Daily on Sunday, May 4.
By Dr. Maria Su
Happy Autism Acceptance Month! As we’re well into the spring season, did you know that spring and Autism Acceptance in April have more in common than you’d think? Both are about growth, renewal, and celebrating the beauty of diversity that’s always been there, just waiting to be seen and appreciated.
Celebrating Autism Acceptance Month is especially meaningful to me as a former child psychologist, having witnessed firsthand the profound impact that understanding, inclusion, and advocacy can have on the lives of neurodivergent children and their families.
Here in SFUSD, we not only accept – but also celebrate – people for the differences that make them special. This goes hand in hand with our commitment to serving the whole child. On March 27, I had the honor of attending and speaking at the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education’s Advocates Worthy of Excellence (AWE) Awards. I was blown away by the dedication that the AWE winners and nominees show for our students.
One of the award winners helped to design the district’s first bike program tailored to students with disabilities. He’s helped students learn job skills like running a coffee cart or filmmaking.
Another award winner tirelessly works to make sure students she sees are fully included in arts activities and incorporates the arts into her lessons in ways that build skills and confidence.
Yet another award winner attends medical appointments with a retina specialist with one of her high school students so that she can relay helpful information to Individual Education Program (IEP) team during meetings.
I could go on and on with uplifting stories. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees this year!
Speaking of reasons to celebrate, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently finalized a resolution recognizing April 2025 as Autism Awareness Month in San Francisco. SFUSD has been steadily increasing supports for our growing population of autistic students. We provide differentiated instruction and services to autistic students to ensure their rightful access to our general education classrooms and autism-focused special day classes that address the needs of students who benefit from smaller/more specialized learning environments for students in Pre-K through 22 years old.
This month and all months, I want to recognize and celebrate our autistic students, staff, and families and recognize their unique contributions to SFUSD. Our district is a richer and more interesting place because of their passion, creativity, individuality, and authenticity.
To learn more, I invite you to check out these resources:
Dr. Maria Su is Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District.
This page was last updated on May 7, 2025