CARES (Community-led Autism Research, Engagement, and Service) is a community-led participatory research program grounded in Autistic expertise.
We are building a team of Autistic research collaborators, including those with and without traditional academic backgrounds.
CARES collaborators will be involved in every stage of the research process—from shaping the questions to analyzing and sharing findings.
Our goal is to center Autistic lived experience, conduct ethical and rigorous research, and create opportunities for community collaborators to grow their skills and impact.
CARES is about shifting power, fostering connection, and ensuring that research about Autism includes and reflects Autistic perspectives at every level.
We are working to provide an equitably inclusive space for non-traditional researchers by providing research training and skill building.
Jesica (Jes) Bates, M.S.
Founder, She/They
I’m an Autistic scholar, advocate, speech-language pathologist, and community organizer working at the intersection of communication, neurodiversity, and justice. My work centers the lived experiences of autistic people, especially those with high support needs, autists with intellectual disabilities, and non speaking, minimally and unreliable speaking autistics.
CARES work reimagines research, therapy, and education through participatory, relational, and multimodal approaches. As the founder of CARES (Community-led Autism Research, Engagement, and Service), I build bridges between academia and community, creating space for new forms of knowledge, expression, and connection. Let’s rethink what communication can be together.