Published on 12, July, 2020
Parliament is going to have another Autism Debate, which I believe will be on 21 March.
The main NAS site has a form to complete to invite your MP to attend this debate.
I think we should all complete the form, altering the main text to state our own personal experiences which we have had in being autistic. Yes, three quarters of MPs might not attend this debate, having 'better things to do', but they are our representatives and whether they attend the debate or not we may make them think about the problems we face. They are our lawmakers, they are the ones who can deal with discrimination, they are the ones who make laws on how PIP is organised, they are the ones who can make diagnosis easier and faster.
Mention the difficulties you have - at work, with official bodies, with getting services. And your MP should reply to you, so post your replies if you do get one. This is one thing that can make a difference.. We should be lobbying MPs, writing to Newspapers and complaining. There will always be the apathetic who do not think it will make a difference but inaction certainly won't make a difference.
And it may just make your MP understand.
The link to the page is here:
https://act.autism.org.uk/page/38688/action/1?utm_source=The%20National%20Autistic%20Society&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10377318_autismact%20-%2014.03.19%20debate&utm_content=Contact%20MP%20button&Keywords=Contact%20MP%20button&dm_i=YA3,66F6U,OSRFNG,OBC76,1
Done. I have a bit of a vested interest though as I think some of the issues I am having at work are down to ignorance around the autistic spectrum, but I think we all suffer this in one way or another, so I think anything we can do to make MPs sit up and listen is worth doing.
Problems are caused by ignorance and that ignorance extends.to those in control of so many places having their heads so firmly placed up their bottoms that they refuse to see the acfual cause of a problem and seek a remedy with an old 'cure' called punishment.
How many times for example.are.autistic people caught up in policies which say that 'abusive behaviour will not be tolerated' when they answer back after being dealt with inappropriately. And this is a great.problem when understanding is based on the many, not the few.
The debate was a lot.of.sympathetic words.which is a start, but these words need translating into action, and the only way of.doing this is to keep autism and the problems we face firmly in the minds.of the public and our lawmakers.and MPs through the media, and personal.stories which must not be seen as rarities.
Autism.awareness week, as I have said before should be more than baking cakes.and having night walks, but should show how we are discriminated against in.many facets of life.
I think the main area of education that needs to be put accross is that autism is a 'spectrum' with extreme ends I think it should be compulsory in every workplace school and hospital for a talk or training module to be put in place, starting with managers head teachers chief execs...