Eighteen years ago, John Murphy followed his head and heart to establish the Rockland Autism Symposium. Along with Inna and Josh Needelman of Mindworks Charitable Trust, the premium sponsor, they created a forum providing all those involved in the IDD community with a massive refreshing upgrade to the quality and access to information to help them live more productive lives. 

The community consists of parents, families, educators, agencies, staff, schools, scientists, social workers, politicians, and all those individuals on the spectrum. Across 17 Symposiums, RAS hosted 100+ of the most brilliant topics from renowned leaders in IDD science and social arenas; it has been a terrific ride. 

But now, RAS is at a crossroads, and it is time to sunset the event as we move on to other endeavors. There are far too many people to thank, so thank you all for your support, we hope we provided the value we intended.