Autism Act
Published Monday, November 16, 2009 - 22:33
The Autism Bill received Royal Assent on 12th November making it the Autism Act: Englandâ??s first ever disability-specific law.
This is a truly groundbreaking achievement for the thousands of adults with autism who are isolated, ignored and unable to access the help and support they so desperately need.
After a year of lobbying, this is the moment that adults with autism and their families have been waiting for – the Autism Act could literally transform lives.
Drafted by the National Autistic Society (NAS) on behalf of a coalition of autism charities, the Autism Act is a rare example of a Private Members’ Bill actually reaching the statue books. The Bill was championed by Conservative MP Cheryl Gillan after she was drawn first in the Private Members’ ballot. Despite being lobbied by countless organisations, charities and interest groups, Cheryl chose to give a voice to the over two million people in the UK whose lives are touched by autism, and take forward the Autism Bill.
The Autism Bill aimed to address the devastating lack of services for adults with autism after the NAS I Exist report revealed the miserable daily reality for many thousands of adults with the condition. Due to the devastating lack of help, support and service available, one in three were experiencing severe mental health problems and many were completely dependent on ageing parents for support. As one parent of an adult with autism said of her daughter: “She has quite calmly said that when we die she plans to kill herself because she knows she will be completely alone and unable to care for herself. She weeps on a daily basis because she is so scared of the future. There is nobody to help her manage her daily life, and more importantly, who will love her when we’re gone?”
An incredible 10,000 campaigners emailed their MP to encourage them to support the Bill. As a result, it received support from all sides of the house, with 131 MPs voting in its favour. The Bill has since gone successfully through committee stage and then unamended through the House of Lords.
Cheryl Gillan said of her achievement: “I’d like to thank everyone for their support. It is extremely rare that a Private Members’ Bill goes on to become law, so this is a triumph for people with autism and their families. It’s a real testament to the overwhelming level of parliamentary support for this chronically excluded group. I hope it will make the crucial difference in their lives that people with autism need and deserve.”
The Autism Act will mean that, for the first time, the NHS and local authorities could face legal action if they fail to provide the support that people with autism need. They will also be expected to fulfil new responsibilities, which include providing diagnostic services for adults with autism and better training for health and social care staff.
The new law will also add serious weight to the forthcoming adult autism strategy, as under the Act the strategy will be legally enforceable and must also be published within the next six months.
This will be the first ever strategy for adults with autism and will cover a wide variety of issues including health, social care, employment and training. The content of the strategy is absolutely crucial to the success of the Bill, so we will be keeping the pressure up on the Government to ensure they deliver a strategy which will achieve real and lasting change for adults with autism.
Following the launch of our Don’t Write Me Off campaign, we think it is vital that the strategy tackle the woeful number of people with autism in employment. New research for the campaign found that a third of people with autism – that’s over 100,000 - currently live without either a job or benefits. As a consequence, many are forced to rely on family and friends for the basic means to live, some for over a decade.
Adults with autism are finally getting the political attention they deserve and we would like to thank Cheryl Gillan MP and the thousands of autism campaigners, MPs and peers for their support – together we have made legal history.
