We are fully supportive of “Fulfilling and rewarding lives: the strategy for adults with autism in England”… the Department will fulfill the commitment set out in the Autism Act 2009 and consult on and publish guidance in December 2010. Consultation will begin in the next few weeks.

The Autism Act 2009 sets out that the new guidance must cover the following areas.

1.Provision of services for diagnosis of autism.
2.Identification of adults with autism.
3.Assessment of the needs of adults with autism for relevant services.
4.Transition.
5.Other planning in relation to the provision of services to adults with autism.
6.Training of staff in autism.
7.Local arrangements for leadership in relation to autism services.

The new guidance will be statutory, so any local authority or local health body that doesn’t follow it will be able to be challenged through the courts.

As soon as we know more details about how and when the consultation is going to happen, we will post them right here, so please keep checking www.autism.org.uk/dhguidance for more details.

Read more about:

The Autism Act 2009
The Autism Strategy for England

It aims to empower others to take control and reduce their vulnerability to bullying, abuse and hate crime.
 
Organisers plan to issue DVDs to people with learning difficulties in Birmingham and to make it available nationally following the launch, which marks the start of national Learning Disability Week (21-27 June).
 
The project has been made possible thanks to a £7,500 grant from the Queen’s Nursing Institute Fund for Innovation Award which supports projects to improve nursing care in the community.

Rosemary Cook CBE, director of the Queen’s Nursing Institute said: “We are delighted to support a project which gives people with learning disabilities a chance to help their peers in this way. “Bullying is always completely unacceptable and this resource will help people avoid being bullied.”

For further information or to request a DVD of Beat the Bullies, contact the St Stephen’s Centre, Handsworth, on 0121 465 8950.

 It is the result of collaboration with musicians including Charles Stuart, who tours with Grace Jones, and Robbie Fordjour, drummer for jazz artist Courtney Pine.

Emeh says that Stevie Wonder is her biggest inspiration, “because he can do so many things . . . despite his disability”. She adds: “I like it when people are touched by my songs and seeing the smiles on people’s faces. I like seeing people with learning disabilities being themselves, having a good time and not hiding away.”

Complications at birth left Emeh with a mild learning disability, but she confounded medical opinion by starting to talk and walk at four years old. She does not read or write, and lives in supported housing in west London. Heart n Soul director Mark Williams heard her sing at the one of the group’s arts events 10 years ago and encouraged her talent.

Promoting artists with disabilities, Emeh says, will educate the public. “There are people who say stupid and hurtful things,” she explains. “I was on a bus and a boy looked at me and then turned to his sister and said, ‘That’s what I call a retard.’ And they both laughed at me. I tried to shake it off, but I was very upset. If we can teach kids to understand us, then they’ll accept us and won’t be scared and make fun of us. I want people to respect us.”Lizzie wants more training and scholarships for disabled people, and argues that, with appropriate support, more of her peers could become artists.

For Lizzie, support means working with musicians who transcribe her words and put the chords down. She also has vocal, choreography and media training sessions. The album has taken three years to develop, reflecting the comfortable pace at which Emeh worked. Given the controversy over X-Factor contestant Susan Boyle, whose vulnerability many felt was not adequately supported, Emeh proves that, with tailored help, artists with special needs can realise their dreams. Williams says: “The Disability Discrimination Act says people with disabilities should be given an equal chance to participate, and that ethos can be shared in all organisations. It’s having the belief and confidence that these artists do exist and have the same aspirations as everybody else.” For Stuart, working with Lizzie Emeh has taught him to be more patient. He says: “There are so many amazing and powerful stories that artists like Lizzie need to tell and a wider audience needs to hear.”

The siblings are organising a range of events for Smile International, which provides aid in the Balkans territory. Steven, who has Asperger Syndrome, travels to Kosovo each year to help disabled and deprived people in Kosovo.

His next trip will be in October when he and Jackie plan to do a sponsored 20-mile mountain trek before helping out at the country’s Smile Centre. Steven, aged 35, of Cattedown, who also campaigns for the National Autistic Society, said: “I’ve been to Kosovo four times and I love being able to help people there.

I want to continue to help them in any way, shape or form I can.” Jackie, of St Jude’s, a solicitor, said: “Each year, my brother raises money for and goes to Kosovo with Smile International to help provide aid and missionary work to those who are far less fortunate in a country that has been so badly affected by war and subsequent poverty.”He helps people rebuild their lives and communities. Just last year, he was able to bond with a young woman who had not spoken a word for 10 years following a hand grenade attack on her house, which sadly killed her father. By the end of his visit, she spoke.” Smile supports local churches, centres and schools, and delivers aid and medical provisions. Jackie, aged 29, said: “Without this help, children would simply not be able to attend school and people would not be able to access medical help. Smile desperately needs money to be able to continue their work — so off we are going. All the money we raise is sent directly to Smile.”

Tenpin, at the Barbican Leisure Park, has donated the use of four bowling alleys for 12 hours — from 10am until 10pm — on May 23. All are welcome to attend the event, which will include a raffle and other fundraising events.The cost will be £5 per game per person.

Alternatively, teams are invited to get their own sponsorship to bowl continuously for as long as possible. This would entail a £10 donation and minimum sponsorship of £75. Anyone who would like to be involved in the event or donate raffle prizes can email jackiedodd@ymail.com

First shown in August 2009, The Autistic Me was a critically acclaimed documentary. It followed the lives of three young men with autism as they struggled with the transition into adulthood: finding work, looking for love and striving for independence. Now BBC Three catches up with the same characters a year after director Matt Rudge first met them. The last 12 months have seen dramatic changes and upheavals in their lives.

Twenty-four-year-old Oliver has high-functioning autism and is still desperate to find a job, but now he lives away from his parents in supported living and attends a course designed to help people with autism find employment. He attends mock interviews and has a work trial at a local supermarket, but will it pay off? With an encyclopedic knowledge of British history, is stacking shelves the best Oliver can get?

Tom and his family have moved over 300 miles to Cornwall but their idyllic dream is proving a challenge for Tom. He is isolated in the countryside and, having left the support of his specialist residential school, must cope with the daunting prospect of starting at a mainstream college with thousands of students he doesn’t know. Will Tom be able to make friends and be able to fulfil his dream of being in a rock band?

Twenty-five-year-old Alex has Asperger’s syndrome. At the end of the first film he had a date with Kirsty, an autistic girl he was talking to online. Now they are boyfriend and girlfriend. They text and email all the time but haven’t been able to see each other because they live in separate towns on the south coast of England. Kirsty has invited Alex to her birthday party on Valentine’s Day. Will he be able to get there, and what does the future hold for their relationship?

Steven Dodd, from Plymouth, has Asperger syndrome and has just completed three days work experience with Devon South West MP Gary Streeter (15^th-17^th March). The duo are backing a National Autistic Society (NAS) campaign to stop adults with autism being written-off by the employment and benefits system.

NAS research shows that just 15%* of adults with autism are in full time paid employment in the UK. Like many people with autism Steven wants to work, but has experienced great difficulty finding a job, due to inadequate support and misunderstandings related to his condition. He has held several voluntary positions but has never had a permanent paid job.

Whilst at Westminster, Steven (34) provided administrative support to Mr Streeter’s team, attended several meetings with the MP and watched Prime Minister’s Question Time live in the House of Commons.

He said; “They worried I would get bored but I had a fantastic time. It was inspiring and exciting to be able to see how politics works from the inside. What politicians do can have a huge effect on the lives of people with autism so I would like to thank Gary Streeter MP for his support. There are not nearly enough disabled MPs so I am thinking about a future career in politics. For now, I hope I have raised awareness of what people with autism can do with the right help. I just want to be able to work and be as independent as I can be.”

Gary Streeter MP said; “Steven is well known in my constituency for being a tenacious fundraiser. He has such a great contribution to make and is so passionate and enthusiastic about everything that he does. Working alongside him was an absolute pleasure and I was delighted to be able to offer him the opportunity.  It is absolutely vital that people with autism get the help and support they need to find employment and fulfil their potential and are supported financially when they cannot work.”

The NAS Don’t write me off campaign found a third of people with autism – that is around 100,000 – currently live without a job and without benefits; many are forced to rely on family and friends as a result.

The charity is campaigning for a better understanding of autism across all Jobcentre Plus staff and new measures to make the employment and benefits system fair for people with the disability. 

To find out more visit: www.autism.org.uk/dontwritemeoff  

David Askew died on his doorstep during a confrontation with yobs. Police had been in regular contact with him, but had failed to halt what had become a daily routine of bullying against the man the gangs nicknamed ‘Dopey Dave’.

Mr Askew had gone outside to tackle a group who had broken down his gate and were interfering with his elderly mother’s mobility scooter when he collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack.Children as young as eight had subjected the 64-year-old to years of unrelenting abuse. Last night neighbours said they were in no doubt the campaign of bullying led to his death and blamed police and the local council for failing to do enough to protect him.

Police said they had been in almost daily contact with Mr Askew, his 89-year-old mother Rose and brother Brian, 67, at their home Hattersley, near Hyde, Greater Manchester.

An 18-year-old man was last night arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over the death Mr Askew’s death.

A film showcasing a scheme that helps people with learning disabilities gain paid or voluntary work has been launched by a Harrow charity. Community Link Up has made the film to showcase the scheme and encourage more employers to hire people with learning disabilities.

The Journey to Employment video focuses on two people with learning disabilities who have gained employment through the scheme. Nazia Hussain, who has a placement at Jato, and Emily Minney, a paid employee at Starbucks, talk about their experiences of work, and the difference it has made to their lives, on the film.

Emily, 26, started work at Starbucks in Pinner about two years ago and now works three days a week. Her manager, Kerrie Low, describes Emily as a “full member of the team”, and says they would be “lost without her”. Emily said: “Link Up helped me with my confidence and helped me to be myself and be more independent, doing things on my own, travelling on my own, and getting involved with a lot more activities on my own.

“Our experience with Emily has been so positive that recently, through Link Up, we’ve placed another person in a local store and having spoke to several members of the team there, they’re getting the same positive experience we are.”

Community Link Up aims to integrate people with learning disabilities more fully into the life of the community through friendship. For more information click Linkup

Mencap’s

A general election will take place in 2010. At the last general election only 2 out of 10 people with a learning disability used their vote, compared to 6 out of 10 of the whole UK population. ‘Get my vote’ was launched at the Learning Disability Today event at the end of November.

As part of the campaign, Mencap wants the government to make sure that accessible information about how to register to vote is available. We are also calling for the main parties to make their manifestos in easy read

Mencap has also tabled an Early Day Motion in parliament, calling for more accessible materials to be produced in the election. Early Day Motions allow MPs to support causes that are important to them.

In the new year, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability will focus on this issue. Representatives from the main parties will have the chance to explain the steps they are taking to engage people with a learning disability

Key to driving improvement will be building intelligence networks, within services, representative groups and other relevant organisations. This will feed into the regulator’s picture of services and direct where inspections should take place.

Plans also include:

• a special review of physical healthcare for people with a learning disability and people with mental illness in response to the Michael’s enquiry
• piloting a joint service inspection of local authorities and primary care trusts to check adult safeguarding mechanism
• consulting on a special review on the use of restraint and the health and social care needs of offenders
• involving “experts by experience” (people with a learning disability and carers) in a range of social and health care inspections and reviews
• continuing to work with the Department of Health and the Information Centre to improve available data, including performance indicators and the possibility of having a national minimum data set for learning disabilities.

Download the five year strategic plan for people with learning disabilities 

Download the five year strategic plan for people with learning disabilities easy read version