The Audacious Aspie goes to the UK! (and Ireland)

Welcome back to the audacious aspie. Today, we will travel on one long, costly, big adventure to the UK (and Ireland) and look at the options offered to people with autism. Unless your with the Doctor, in which case you're probably already there, or you’ve been there and are now reading this from the future. Or you're not there yet but due to some technological magic of the doctor you’re reading this from one-thousand years into the past How's the wifi signal? In any case, let's get started (if you're reading this doctor, I know a person with two thumbs and a big grin who is waiting to be your next companion).

 

Unless we run up against monsters like the weeping angels. I know one of your rules is cruel not cowardly, but I would rather be cowardly and alive rather than cruel and dead.

 

Now in the last post, we looked at the American group Autism Society, which dealt with providing information on how and where to look for resources on autism. The Brits, they have the same thing, minus some exceptions. Namely, their...will, name, for starters, for they are not just some autistic society. No no, they are a NATIONAL autistic society, hence their name, The National Autistic Society (incase you got confused with the provincial, territorial, or states autistic society's). Who are they? Why, they are the THE United Kingdom's (maybe should be called Queendom since, you know, queen ELizabeth and all that) leading charity. THE leading charity, not just A leading charity, posh posh.

 

In the last half century (it would not be English if it wasn't extremely old) the NAS has been, in their own words “pioneering new ways to support autistic people and understand autism” (http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/about-us/whoweare.aspx), supporting both children and adults. Using experience, with help from members, donors (can’t forget about donors) and volunteers, they are able to give “life-changing information and advice” (http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/about-us/whoweare.aspx) to autistic people and families and friends. To be fair to the companies who like to use words like “life-changing” to explain their services, they are right: what they have to offer will change your life.

 

2 types of life changing events: minor, like the chocolate bar example, a fleeting life changing event. Major, like this guy is going to jump off a cliff because the store does not sell chocolate anymore.

 

Much like if you buy and eat a chocolate bar, your life has been changed. May not be a long lasting, or even meaningful, change, but a change nonetheless. Can’t sue them for false advertising. And of course, they also support professionals, politicians, and the public (the three P’s) to better understand autism and, as if this was not obvious enough, to better understand autistic people of all ages, as will to support and appreciate them “for who they are” (http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/about-us/whoweare.aspx). But, there's more!...that we will look at in the next post, as will as some...concerns, of those who had to deal with them group to group, more on that later.

 

That was my 27th post (can you believe it?). But we’re not done yet, for next upcoming posts, we will deal with the NATIONAL society and a another group. One that has some concerns with how things are in the UK concerning resources towards autistic people. Concerns that are perhaps similar over here. Until next time, this continues to be, the Audacious Aspie.    

 

P.S: until last week, I have been struggling with a lack of...connection, to the outside world. Namely wifi, for some weeks. For those of you wondering why a notice of a new post did not come out second last week of November, that's why. To insure that you have access to the blog site if something like that happens again. I strongly suggest you copy and paste the link somewhere on your computers, phones, or sonic screwdrivers, so that you won't have to wait till lord knows when if something happens again. As the stereotypical english as-portrayed-in-North-America says: chip-chip-cheereo.    

Sources used:

http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/about-us/whoweare.aspx