Autism Involvement Group (AIG) – April 2018
AIG meeting held on 17th April 2018
Summary
This AIG discussions included:
Autism Engagement Overview
Louise Rayment gave information on:
- Several upcoming workshops
- A campaign is being developed to encourage businesses to employ people with disabilities.
- Meetings to monitor progress with the development of the Autism Strategy.
- The autism workshop will be held three times in Exeter, Plymouth and Torbay.
Autism Board
Paul Collinge explained that a lot of work is being done in the local area and wider with the STP. There is work around the housing strategy which has a lot of different strands.
The group had a discussion around the diagnosis of autism and agreed that the board should be taking a lot of this up.
Employment Workshop
Louise Rayment explained that employment is a priority area. Only 30% of people with autism are currently employed.
A campaign will be launched in June highlighting real life cases. We want to use case studies to bring the campaign to life. We want to develop clear pathways to employment.
The group discussed these questions at length and in detail:
Q1 what are the barriers?
Q2 How do we overcome them?
Group feedback included:
- There is a lack of insight from employers when it comes to autism.
- Self-employment gives control to people with Autism
Dimensions for Autism (DFA) update
The group were given an update on DFA plans and progress so far, which included information regarding their new Autism website and explained the group name change.