Published on 12, July, 2020
The back is printed with your two chosen Contact numbers.The back also explains you may need space or support for the Emergency services.I mentioned this before in a previous post.It costs £5 and is a proper plastic card,wallet size.If you are interested, check your area to see if the scheme is supported.Proof of Diagnosis is required.
Good idea in principle but in order to be effective there has to be adequate training for the police and emergency services workers who may be shown the card.
Otherwise it may end up like the recent incident (discussed on here) of the teenage girl in Leeds. The mother informed police the girl was autistic, one officer responded with "I don't care" then 7 others forcibly dragged the girl out of her home and arrested her.
I found this older 2015 article online. which refers to an autism alert card.
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/ryedale/13345085.man-with-autism-receives-police-pay-out-after-arrest/
The article says "The man was handcuffed while being transported to the station and detained in a cell for six hours, despite telling officers he had Asperger’s Syndrome and showing them his autism alert card."
Yes but if He was kicking off and resisting then an Alert card will not be a get out of jail free card.
There is no indication in the article that he was kicking off or resisting arrest. I imagine it would be a huge shock to him when officers boarded the bus he was on.
"the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) concluded that JP should not have been handcuffed during transportation as it amounted to excessive force."
He was awarded an out of court five figure settlement by the police. Without the card it may not have been that much, as police could have argued they were not aware.
DIPLOMATIC
This may be the first time I've heard this phrase used about you LoL ;)
Not sure if you're serious, probably not.
I don't think anyone is suggesting that being autistic gives any kind of immunity or acts as a get out of jail free card. Is it too much to expect that autistic people are treated with respect and understanding?
I find it strange that I received the same response "Being autistic is not a get out of jail free card" last time I commented on this subject. I would expect that elsewhere but not on and autism forum. If autistic people do not stand up to defend those in our own community who are being mistreated then who will?
https://community.autism.org.uk/f/mental-health-and-wellbeing/33172/trigger-warning-girl-gets-arrested-seemingly-for-being-autistic-in-a-built-up-area
Personally i would hold up my card to the Police and shout....DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY !