When I was deciding on the name for my company, those I liked had already been taken. autism act was the one that I kept coming back to. Any research on that for a company name brought up only one thread – The Autism Act 2009.
You may have already tuned into a play on words for the company name and for me, it holds significance. autism act imagined 10 years on from The Autism Act 2009 and autism act standing for advice, consultancy and training, mirroring what is needed to improve outcomes. Using this for my company name seemed logical.
So what is The Autism Act 2009 and why is such a significant piece of legislation?
The Autism Act 2009 was passed in November 2009, the result of 2 years of campaigning by the National Autistic Society and an All Party Parliamentary Group, focusing on improving the lives and outcomes of autistic adults. It remains the first ever disability-specific legislation to be passed in the UK. A strategy was set out to meet the needs of autistic adults by improving the services provided by local authorities and the NHS. The first strategy was published in 2010 called Fulfilling and rewarding lives. This came with a commitment to be review 3 years on. In April 2014, a new strategy was published, Think Autism.
In 2009 most areas in England did not have an adult diagnostic service. However, 93% now do as a result of the legislation. Councils were required to have a designated member of staff to lead the development of their autism services. The Government announced last year, the autism strategy would be extended to cover children as a result of the NAS Held Back campaign, ensuring autistic children also receive the support they need.
10 years on, and a review has focused on what has worked and what hasn’t and how to best deliver the promises that were made as part of The Autism Act 2009. However, in spite of some improvements, there are many areas that are not meeting their obligations set out by The Autism Act 2009. The NAS surveyed autistic people and their families about the care and support they received. Over 10,000 responses were received. 6 sessions were chaired by a Member of Parliament to discuss the impact the Act had and what the next steps should be:
1 Health and mental health (Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP) – inequalities faced in the health system, getting a more timely diagnosis and the need for better training, people being stuck in inappropriate assessment and treatment units, including being sectioned.
2 Public understanding (Rt Hon Dame Cheryl Gillan MP) – improving public understanding, changing perceptions to make a more autism-friendly society. What do autistic people want society to understand and what can the Government do next to improve society’s understanding.
3 Access to justice (Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP) – what happens when people come into contact with the justice system, what support can be accessed within the prison system and the need to improve training and making reasonable adjustments.
4 Support in adulthood (Catherine West MP) – the barriers facing autistic adults in trying to access social care, benefits system and community mental health support, the impact this is having on autistic adults and their families when they can’t access the support they need.
5 Employment (Thangam Debbonaire MP) – the challenges faced by autistic people when getting a job and whether the support they receive in employment is adequate.
6 Education and transition to adulthood (Huw Merriman MP) – how the education system is working with health and social care, how well young people are supported in the transition from education.
I think those of us involved with autistic young people, whether a parent, a professional, a business or an organisation may have noticed some improvements, 10 years on and there is still a long way to go and a lot to achieve. When high profile cases such as the troubling lack of support for the autistic young man and his desire to push someone off something tall hits our news headlines, we realise how much still needs to be achieved and the lack of support for individuals. However, when we see autistic adults touring the country, talking to audiences about their lives, we realise how much opinions are changing and the positive change of opinion they are contributing too.
autism act is dedicated to a helping to improve the 6 issues outlined above. While I can not impact on all of them, they resonate with the ethos I am promoting; improving understanding is one of my major goals. And while awareness is a great first step, it is not enough as understanding also needs to be there, reasonable adjustments made and provision moulded.
It may seem like a drop in the ocean for a little company that is just starting out, but every drop creates a ripple and every ripple reaches out and impacts somewhere else. That is the plan. That is my contribution.
#autismawareness
#raisingknowledge
#buildingconfidence
#feelingempowered