Machita: my role as an ambassador

Hello, my name is Machita, mum to twin sons aged eighteen who both have Aspergers and I am proud to be a National Autistic Society (NAS) Ambassador.

Taking on the role has opened up many opportunities for me to help in the campaign to bring autism to life to people that are aware, some interested and some not that autism exists. These opportunities have ranged from writing letters, being interviewed for a website feature, press releases, contributing to an NAS DVD to speaking at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Autism at Westminster and being involved in a lobby day at Westminster regarding the Health and Social Care Bill in relation to autism.

I was delighted to be asked to take part in all of these activities and said yes straight away: then was the time to think about what I had said yes too and panic a little! No need to panic though because I know what I am talking about, after all who could make up the many experiences me and my family have lived through and continue to face into the future and who would want too!

If you have an opportunity to contribute to improving the lives of people with autism and their families, go for it, don’t panic and always remember you know more than the people you are speaking too because you have the real life experience and it is their responsibility to listen to you. It is amazingly rewarding and the staff at the NAS are hugely supportive which makes it a great experience all round.

Machita

Neil discusses campaigning on employment

20th March 2012 and the eve of the budget. The concerns of the nation are how much more will public services be cutback upon. And yet there, in the House Of Commons, was the NAS launching their campaign "The Undiscovered Workforce".

Now times are tough for everybody, and it is always likely to be the dream of any government to get as many people as possible back into employment, not only to improve the pride of the nation, reduce the amount of benefit being paid whilst at the same time increasing the amount of tax being received through earnings, but also because of the enormous loss of production from untapped talent.

Some of the most untapped talent comes from the Autistic community. Many of these are highly intellectual, in fact it is rumoured that Einstein himself probably had Aspergers Syndrome, and yet only 15% are in full-time employment, and even for these, they might be under-achieving because their employers are not making the necessary adjustments to get the best out of them.

The guest list at the launch party did have a wide variety of the types of people involved - several Members of Parliament, of course (otherwise why have the event there?), people who work for the NAS, some employers and, significantly, a number of people with Aspergers Syndrome, including myself.

I was invited in my role as an ambassador for the Autistic Action Network campaigning on employment issues, and in two months time will be hosting an event of my own featuring the American writer Rudy Simone, who herself has Aspergers Syndrome and had many issues in jobs where she worked before she became self-employed as a writer and speaker on the subject. I am hoping that this event will attract employers and open their minds.

It is very important to involve all these types of people in order to ensure that the conditions are put in place to enable those of us with Aspergers Syndrome and Autism who have the ability to be on benefit to employers and make them more profitable, to be able to realise our potential.

This will be a slow process but for now, the first thing I would like to see implemented is training of Human Resources managers on the issues facing people with Aspergers Syndrome and high-functioning Autism as part of their curriculum. This would be in liaison with the CIPD. As one of the parties of our coalition government once said "education, education, education", let us at least see this start to happen.

It will take the involvement of many people for this to happen. Governments cannot do it alone, nor can the NAS Prospects team nor people with Aspergers Syndrome. We must all learn to work together to achieve this goal.

Michele tells it how it is to MPs!

I am proud and honoured to have been chosen as an ambassador for the National Autistic Society and I hope I can help to develop further awareness of autism in all its many shapes and guises and give a voice to other parents who may not, for whatever reason, be able to speak out or stand up for themselves and their children.

My 10 year old son Dylan is gorgeous, funny, smart, witty, crafty, mischievious, loving and has ADHD and high-functioning autism.

He is also prone to regular meltdowns, agressive outbursts, can turn the air blue when he's 'in one' and has been know to tip over tables, throw pencil pots, bite teachers, try to jump out of windows, break or throw any object which comes to hand and, on two occasions (the other just last week!) do a runner from school only to be found my the police. Scary stuff I can tell you!

So I know a bit about working with schools and teachers and trying to ensure my son gets the support he needs in mainstream primary to thrive and be happy.

It's not been easy. We've had many battles along the way but the progress we have all made (Dylan, school and my ex-husband and I) has been phenomenal.

A turning point, I believe, was when I explained to the head teacher that none of this was personal - but if I didn't fight for my son who else would?

So, with my own experiences to share, I joined the team from the National Autistic Society a couple of weeks back to address Members of Parliament at the House of Commons. Wow! What an experience that was. If you've never been inside Westminster before and get a chance to, do take it. What a stunning building! So much history!

I was joined by a fellow parent, some very impressive educators and two fantastic young people on the spectrum and we were given the chance to share our thoughts and answer MP's questions about our experiences.

For many this could be a daunting experience but it seems I was gifted with a big gob so talking to people is never an issue for me! And I hope that my thoughts and views on education and autism (which I know echo those of the many wonderful friends I have made through my local autism support group) might help to shape a better system for our children who deserve the same rights to a good and happy and secure education and childhood as any other.

It was a real privilege to be asked and I have to say one of the proudest moments of my life.