Tag: LDAN Bill

World Autism Acceptance Month: We Need To Act Now for Autistic Rights

NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY

Thursday 2 April marks the start of World Autism Acceptance Month (WAAM). Every year, we come together to raise awareness of autism and this year will be no different. During April, hundreds of autistic people and families across Scotland will be walking 5k to celebrate WAAM, raise awareness and show solidarity with one another.

This year is especially important because it coincides with National Autistic Society Scotland’s Act Now for Autistic Rights campaign, which calls for urgent change ahead of the Holyrood election. 

So far, almost 3,500 letters have been sent by autistic people and families calling on all party leaders to Act Now for Autistic Rights by committing to introduce the long overdue Learning Disability Autism and Neurodivergence Bill. 

It is clear that in education, diagnosis, healthcare and employment, autistic people are being denied rights and opportunities which should be available to them:

  • There has been a 768% increase in the number of pupils recorded as receiving Additional Support for Learning since 2004.
  • Over 42,000 children were waiting for neurodevelopmental assessment, a figure which has increased by over 500% in some areas since 2020.
  • Autistic people have an estimated employment rate of 29%, compared with Scotland’s national employment rate of 82.5% for non-disabled people and 50.7% for disabled people.
  • In a survey of 624 autistic people, 51% of respondents found it hard to get a referral and 62% did not feel well informed about the assessment process once referred.

The Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill can make a genuine difference.

Mandatory training in public services can ensure autistic people’s needs are identified and met at the earliest opportunity, rather than only getting support once a crisis point is reached.

Legally binding national and local strategies can also bring about the planning and resources needed to tackle the backlog for assessment and diagnosis, as well as making sure services are properly signposted in our communities.

WAAM leading into the upcoming election is a vital opportunity to ensure parties don’t just talk about the importance of improving outcomes and opportunities for autistic people this election, but that they also Act Now to affect real and meaningful change. 

Rob Holland, Director of National Autistic Society Scotland, said: “World Autism Acceptance Month is a time for everyone to get involved, raise awareness and celebrate autism acceptance, and so it couldn’t come at a better time to join the calls for change as part of our Act Now for Autistic Rights campaign this election in May.”

“Now is the time to get involved by urging party leaders to Act Now for Autistic Rights and introduce the LDAN Bill, and to spread the word to your friends and families too. This is our chance to ensure the next Scottish Parliament takes overdue action to ensure autistic people’s rights are understood and respected. We cannot miss this opportunity”.

Becca, NAS Scotland Campaigner, said: ” I’ve spent my life feeling unsupported, invalidated and left out on account of my autism and I’ve known many who’ve felt the same. This has to change. 

“The LDAN bill is urgent and will make a vital positive difference to many people, allowing us to lead fulfilling, purposeful and meaningful lives. It must come into effect as soon as possible”.

Letters: SCSC calls for urgent introduction of LDAN Bill

Dear Editor

A recent report from the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament on ADHD and autism support highlighted that children and adults are frequently waiting multiple years for assessments of these conditions.

It called on the Scottish Government to take urgent action to develop and implement a national plan that ensures adults and children with autism and ADHD across all health boards in Scotland have clear, consistent pathways to support.

The report further reinforces the need for the Scottish Government to introduce the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill to Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

The LDAN Bill would help tackle long waiting times through new national and local strategies and introduce mandatory training for health and social care staff, as well as teachers and school staff, to ensure people’s needs are identified and met. 

The importance of the LDAN Bill in tackling the inequalities faced by individuals and their families cannot be overstated, and it has the potential to make a real difference for them in Scotland across education, healthcare, and employment. 

Yours faithfully

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Bell, LOVE Care

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

NAS Scotland launches ‘Act Now for Autistic Rights’ Campaign

The National Autistic Society Scotland is calling for real change for autistic people, ahead of the Scottish Parliament election in May. 

The new campaign calls on the next Scottish Government to introduce the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill to parliament as soon as possible. 

Autistic people in Scotland are waiting months, if not years, for an assessment and experience poorer health outcomes than the general population. At school, autistic pupils face exclusion and isolation due to lack of support, and in community settings autistic people face discrimination stemming from a lack of understanding and access to services. 

The campaign is split into four key areas: diagnosis and support; accessible healthcare; support in schools; and inclusive communities. The LDAN Bill can play a transformative role in each of these areas by introducing national and local plans to tackle waiting lists, introducing mandatory training in healthcare and education, and addressing a glaring lack of accountability in the public services and systems meant to support autistic people in Scotland.

Rob Holland, Director of the National Autistic Society Scotland, said: ‘Too often we hear from autistic people and families that do not have the support they need to live fulfilled lives on their terms, and who are continually being driven into crisis.

“Despite many good laws, strategies and policies in Scotland, there remains a gap between the support people should receive and what they actually receive, whether in school, social care, healthcare or employment. 

“The importance of the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill in tackling the inequalities faced by autistic people and their families cannot be underestimated. It is a vital opportunity to address systematic injustices and to improve outcomes for autistic people of all ages, and that is why we are calling on all political parties to commit to introducing the Bill in Government.”

Becca, NAS Campaigner, said: “We must be allowed to have equal access and opportunity. We are not a burden on society. We are useful, we are intelligent, we are creative. We are inspiring. We are contributors.

“We must be allowed the chance to belong, the chance to make a difference, to be educated and be educators, to be validated, taken seriously. We must be allowed to live in a fair and just society where we are not discriminated against and where we have the chance to live our lives fully and freely. 

“The LDAN bill will give autistic and neurodivergent people a chance to be involved in a fairer society. It will decrease the amount of discrimination and invalidation by making people aware, trained and knowledgeable.

“It will increase independence and choice, helping people to feel they are active in the decisions that affect their own lives whilst also receiving valuable support.”

You can read more about the campaign on the NAS website.

Act Now for Autistic Rights manifestoDownload

Join the fight for the rights of people with Learning Disabilities

EDINBURGH residents have been invited to attend a campaign meeting hosted by ENABLE Scotland at 95 Causewayside, Newington on 9 November 2022 from 7pm to 9pm designed to inform the charity’s calls to the Scottish Government.

The event is designed to collate feedback and evidence from the community that will then go on to inform the charities proposals for the Bill based on real, lived experiences of the learning disability community.

Following a campaign from ENABLE Scotland members, the Scottish Government has announced that it will bring forward a new Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill (LDAN).  This is believed to be the first Bill of its kind, worldwide.

Local people in Edinburgh can attend the event to find out more information about the proposed LDAN Bill and feedback their thoughts, asks and concerns about the protection of human rights and their first-hand experiences of the failings and challenges relating to the current system and the associated laws.

ENABLE Scotland will take the feedback from the event to inform its campaigning around the Bill proposals ensuring that people living with learning disabilities, and their families, are at the heart of the new legislation.  

Jan Savage, Director of ENABLE Scotland said: “For too long, people who have a learning disability have been Scotland’s invisible people.  Subject to poor attitudes and persistently poor public services where they have to fight for their rights. 

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring forward legislation which secures people’s rights in law. It is so important that every voice of every person who has a learning disability is informing this process which is why we are inviting people with lived experience – as well as supporters from the local community in Edinburgh – to come along, hear about the plans for the Bill and have their say in what ENABLE Scotland will be asking of the Scottish Government.

“The work will not stop there.   We are committed to the community that support us in our campaign for the LDAN Bill and as such we will ensure regular updates, information on campaigning and actionable communications to MSP will be shared with our supporters as the Bill progresses through Scottish Parliament over the next two years.

“The Scottish Government have agreed that change is needed.  We will not get this chance again.  If you care about the human rights of people who have a learning disability and want to be part of a movement for change with other like-minded people – we want to meet you on 9 November 2022!”

The charity says that now is the time for change, citing evidence that – amongst other shocking stats – less than 7% of people who have a learning disability have a job, adults who have a learning disability in Scotland die 20 years younger than other adults and children with a learning disability are 12 times more likely to die from preventable illness than other children.

The LDAN Bill provides an opportunity to ensure that the rights of people with a learning disability are protected in law.  The Scottish Government has also said that it will create a new Commissioner to make sure that these rights are upheld.

The LDAN Bill is being proposed as a replacement for the current Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, that ENABLE Scotland believes does not go far enough in protecting the human rights of those in the learning-disabled community and a new Bill and set of laws is pertinent to the safeguarding of individuals in Scotland.

ENABLE has also launched a national survey for people to submit their views if they are unable to make it along to one of the local campaign meetings, please complete here.