A leading UK charity has launched a campaign to get autism on the General Election agenda, by encouraging Britons far and wide to talk to their local Election candidates about the condition.
The National Autistic Society wants autism to be a priority in the next Parliament, and is offering free resources on its website to help autistic people and their families set up meetings with their local Election candidates.
Promotional materials from the I’m One campaign aim to encourage candidates to think about the autistic people living in their constituency and what politicians might be able to do in order to support such individuals.
One advertisement reads: “I’m one of 2.8 million people with an autistic family member. And I’ll be voting.”
Commenting on the campaign, Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, said: “Politicians have the power to improve things for autistic people and their families. With the General Election just weeks away, now’s our chance to tell a whole new set of MPs about autism and make sure it’s a priority in the next Parliament.
“The best way to learn about autism is to hear from autistic people and their families directly. This is why we’re asking autistic people, their families and friends to invite their local candidate to meet them for 20 minutes or so and tell them about their autism.
“We’re on hand to help set up these meetings and have lots of information and resources on our website to help too”.
The National Autistic Society estimates that more than one in 100 people are on the autism spectrum.