Published on 12, July, 2020
The week commencing 27 March is the designated 'Autism Awareness Week'.
Looking at the NAS articles, it seems to be all about fundraising, about baking cakes, going for a walk or holding a sponsored event. All very worthy, I am sure.
But aren't we missing something really important. The slogan is 'until everyone understands'. And what will everyone understand about autism if we just bake cakes or go for a walk? That there is a condition called 'autism'. That those who are autistic can bake cakes?
'Autism awareness week' should surely be an opportunity we should all use to state our case. Anyone who has been touched by autism, from parents and carers, relations, and those who are autistic themselves - should get involved in awareness where it really counts.
And that is by contacting the newspapers, writing letters to the media, writing to our MPs, lobbying parliament, writing to local councillors, and organising campaigns where the real issues relating to autism are stated. Issues such as lack of available diagnoses for adults, the waiting time for a diagnosis, the real lack of anything having been done under the 'Autism Strategy', the fact that NHS trusts do not offer any help at all to adults who may be on the spectrum. Many MPs are on Twitter and Facebook, we could message and tweet them. Get the broadcasters, local radio especially, interested in our cause. Write an article or letter for the local newspaper on the difficulties we face in everyday life, barriers put up not by us but by the attitude of others. This is surely as important as any amount of fundraising in raising awareness.
Daily I see discussions on this forum about problems autistic people and their carers are having with authority, funds being cut, barrers put in our way. And if we also let a wide audience know of these difficulties some of this may just begin to make others understand. Some seed may fall on stony ground, but if we all did communicate our issues to the media, our lawmakers, our local councillors then maybe, just maybe, we would begin to open a few doors in the barriers that are put in our way.
But how many of us will do this?
What we could do is write messages about autism on the cakes in icing. Two birds with one stone, and cake too!
Seriously, though, has anyone thought about starting a petition for the government (petition.parliament.uk) They will listen if they think a large enough portion of the voting public supports something. We are only around 1%, but if we can get people to sign by posting about it on social media, maybe others will sign just because they consider it cool to do so.
DragonCat16 said:What we could do is write messages about autism on the cakes in icing. Two birds with one stone, and cake too!
Many a true word said in jest! I think that is a good idea, sort of a 'love heart' message but to do with autism!
Messages like "Autistic Meltdowns are a way of like" and "Autism is a way of literal thinking" and "Autism means solving problems in a different way", I'm sure others can do better than me!
As regards a petition, I am all for that but need to think of what we would be petitioning for - better diagnostic pathways or would we ask for something a bit less definable? Pehaps asking for better recognition of autism as a disablement and less discrimination by official bodies would be a start.
What I think is that neurodiversity should be added to the Equality Act as a protected characteristic seperate from disability. This has been recommended previously in a document regarding the Act. (The Equality Act 2010: the impact on disabled people).
If neurodiversity were a seperate protected characteristic, then we wouldn't have to prove disability in order to be protected from discrimination. And we do need that protection - otherwise, why would we have the highest unemployment rate even among other people with disabilities. People bully and mistreat us whether or not our condition causes us significant impairment in our day-to-day activity.
I am tired of being treated badly because I was born different, and I really don't see why people like me should have to prove that their difference amounts to a disability in order to be treated like everyone else.
What do you think? Should someone start a petition to add neurodiversity as a tenth protected characteristic?
I'll see if I can do it tomorrow. I will try to put the proposed text on this site for comments and approval beforehand.
I would support such a petition and I'm sure a lot of people would.
So will you set it up? Include what you have written here (which I think explains the petition very well.) Promote it on social media and you never know! If nothing else it may increase awareness of autism.