World Autism Awareness Week – How to get involved
World Autism Awareness Week returns for 2021 running from 29th March – 4th April. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. One in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK. However, like with many hidden disabilities, because people cannot see it, they do not necessarily understand it.
The concept behind World Autism Awareness Week is to improve people’s understanding and change attitudes and stigmas that come with many hidden disabilities. The aim is to raise awareness and funds through many different fun activities, workouts, gameathons… all perfect for homebased fundraising.
We have put together some of the ways you can involved and why it’s more important than ever to do so…
Why your help is more important than ever before
The Coronavirus pandemic has been an incredibly challenging time for everyone; including autistic people and their families. People have been left feeling stranded with services having to close due to the ever-changing guidelines and restrictions. These government changes have been extremely difficult to understand and implement for autistic people with high support needs. Thankfully, due to supporters and previous fundraisers, autistic people’s needs have been considered by the government. This has been evidenced by those with autism being given more opportunities to exercise and being included in the mask wearing exemption.
However, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is how quickly our comforts and everyday necessities can be taken away from us. Therefore, without the resources that had already been put in place for those with autism including previous donations and fundraising, Covid-19 could have had a severe negative impact. This has shown us how its more important than ever to raise awareness over World Autism Awareness Week 2021.
Ways to get involved
You can get involved in the workplace, in school or simply by exercising or playing a quiz. One in 100 people are autistic which means its likely you have autistic colleagues at work but may just not be aware of it. Autistic people can suffer discrimination in the workplace and society as a whole. Therefore, why not try some of the following activities at your workplace to help fundraise for World Autism Awareness Week;
- Download & distribute the free workplace fundraising guide
- Download social media images to show support
- Include the World Autism Awareness Week background on your video calls
Learn more on how to get your workplace involved by clicking here.
One in every 100 UK school children is autistic and, without the right resources, school can create lots of hurdles and challenging situations children must face. Education on autism can be improved amongst students by;
- Early year resources – film & activities
- Primary resources – film, activities and primary assembly
- Secondary resources – film, Q&As and secondary assembly
Learn more on how to get schools involved in World Autism Awareness Week by clicking here.
Exercise is another great way to raise awareness and funds. Formerly known as 7k or 700k, this year’s campaign is asking people to take on a Super 7 Challenge. From running, walking, or cycling to creating music, art, or food – you choose your own 7-themed activity. Need some inspiration? Read more here.
And if none of these previous activities interest you, why not get involved with what we have become so familiar with since the pandemic began… a good old quiz! The World Autism Awareness website has ready to go quizzes for you and your family, friends, or colleagues to get stuck in to. Click here to see more.
Autistic people face inequality, misinterpretation, and feelings of isolation every day. Consequently, campaigns such as World Autism Awareness Week are so important to educate people and protect the rights and interests of those with autism and their families. Awareness weeks such as this help correct unfair policies and practices, improve public understanding, and help work towards building a society that works for autistic people.
Here at Fish Insurance, we will be celebrating World Autism Awareness Week by hosting workplace quizzes and wearing some bright colours! Stay tuned to our social media channels to see what we get up to.
For more advice and guidance on autism visit the National Autistic Society website by clicking here.
