Autism Acceptance Week: big issues discussed online

With the UK on lockdown, the North East Autism Society (NEAS) has moved its activities for Autism Acceptance Week (30 March - 5 April) online, with a series of vodcasts released throughout the week.

The vodcast series is a three-part discussion between Kerrie Highcock, Family Development Manager at NEAS; David Jones, Community Liaison Manager at Life Science Centre; and autistic advocate Kieran Rose.

Kerrie said: "It has been valuable to discuss complex issues collectively from three different perspectives. The common theme which is evident within these discussions is that autism is a neurological difference and not a deficit, and reframing it in this way has a huge impact on autistic people and their families.

"When I was working on the dissertation for my master's degree, children as young as nine years old were telling me that society thinks they're broken, that they need to be fixed. What does that do for a nine-year-old's wellbeing?"

Life Science Centre, which has been working with autistic visitors to improve the visitor experience and launched a new programme of Sensory-friendly Sundays earlier this year, is committed to continuing its work with this community during its closure.

David said: "It's important to maintain and grow our communities during the science centre's closure, and modern technology can make that possible. In addition to the vodcasts, Kerrie and I have created a science-based activity using Zoom (a digital meeting platform) to support the young people we have been working with. We plan to create many more of these over the coming months and to respond to their suggestions about what they would find useful."

To find out more about Life Science Centre's collaborative work with NEAS, click here to read an article published in Spokes magazine.

The first part of the discussion was published on Monday. Visit the NEAS Facebook page to watch this and subsequent vodcasts.

Media contact:

Sarah Reed, Communications and Special Events Manager at Life Science Centre

Video:

The first part of the discussion is available to view on YouTube.