Welcome to the Autistic Community

This group will be run as an introduction to what it means to be autistic living in a society geared towards neurotypical people. It will include how to make connections to the autistic community, what neurodiversity means, what relevance neurodiversity has to autistic people and how to connect to services available across Scotland. We will also cover topics such as access to benefits, how and when to disclose, disability rights including Human Rights, the Equality Act 2010 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The themes will be centred around autistic empowerment; we will discuss autistic history and the history of Autistic People’s Organisations including setting up an APO, what organisations already exist (other disability organisations including those run by disabled people themselves) and the cultural and political aspects of an autism diagnosis.