We are saddened to report that one of California’s great autism advocacy pioneers and former Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area (SFASA) president and board member Corrine Shelly Aulgur passed away in her sleep in December 2017. Corrine was a strong asset to our autism community and was long a fighter for improved community services for those disabled by autism. All of California’s autism families now benefit from her pioneering dedication to policy reform and autism awareness.
Deeply engaged in local and state advocacy, she was well known with Regional Center directors and legislators. Corrine was one of the parents who confronted state legislators regarding passage of the Lanterman Act by sitting with her children in front of the men's bathrooms at the state capitol when the legislators refused to meet with the group of families. She was one of the outspoken and dedicated mothers who kept pushing until the Lanterman Act was passed and then never stopped after we had the law and the Regional Centers that resulted from it.
“Corrine was relentless in trying to find and create opportunities for our children,” said Sue Swezey, co-founder of SFASA. “I first met her in 1974, when she was president of SFASA and a member of Area Board V. Even as she grew older, she gave unstintingly of her time and energy. She was part of the group of early advocates who paved the way for all the services which CA now provides. She was one of the towering figures in autism advocacy.”
Corrine was also a champion of assisted communication for individuals with limited verbal language, including her son, and was a supportive mother to her step-daughter.
Corrine is survived by her two children with autism and her husband Bob.
—Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area board of directors
Deeply engaged in local and state advocacy, she was well known with Regional Center directors and legislators. Corrine was one of the parents who confronted state legislators regarding passage of the Lanterman Act by sitting with her children in front of the men's bathrooms at the state capitol when the legislators refused to meet with the group of families. She was one of the outspoken and dedicated mothers who kept pushing until the Lanterman Act was passed and then never stopped after we had the law and the Regional Centers that resulted from it.
“Corrine was relentless in trying to find and create opportunities for our children,” said Sue Swezey, co-founder of SFASA. “I first met her in 1974, when she was president of SFASA and a member of Area Board V. Even as she grew older, she gave unstintingly of her time and energy. She was part of the group of early advocates who paved the way for all the services which CA now provides. She was one of the towering figures in autism advocacy.”
Corrine was also a champion of assisted communication for individuals with limited verbal language, including her son, and was a supportive mother to her step-daughter.
Corrine is survived by her two children with autism and her husband Bob.
—Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area board of directors
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