From the 28th of March to the 3rd of April, we will be celebrating World Autism Acceptance Week, previously known as World Autism Awareness Week. The campaign hopes to raise awareness and focus on the 700,000 people living with autism in the UK. To support World Autism Acceptance Week, we have created an article about the campaign, its history and how you can get involved and show your support.
The importance of World Autism Acceptance Week
World Autism Acceptance Week aims to change negative attitudes towards autism and raise vital funds to support people living with autism. The National Autistic Society charity that created the campaign is focused on creating a society that works for autistic people. The charity believes that no one should be judged for having autism. They believe that no one should have to wait a long time to receive a potentially life-changing diagnosis as well as help and support from the appropriate services.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the National Autistic Society. It’s been 60 years since a group of parents of autistic children founded the charity to fight for autistic people’s rights. You can view the charity's timeline of how they’ve grown over the years on their website.
The National Autistic Society has received feedback from people about the name of the campaign, World Autism Awareness Week. From the feedback given, the charity has decided to change the name of the campaign to World Autism Acceptance Week. The charity believes they have come very far over the past 60 years, and most people, if not all, will have heard of autism.
How you can support World Autism Acceptance Week
During World Autism Acceptance Week, there is a range of activities taking place to celebrate and support the campaign. Here’s a list of exciting activities to get involved with:
Super 60 challenge
This week, Christine McGuinness will be hosting the Super 60 challenge where you can run, walk, cycle, create art, music or food to the theme of 6, 60, 600 or even push yourself to 600,000. The event is virtual and is running for the whole week, which allows you to take part at any time in any place. You can find out more about the Super 60 challenge here.
Spectrum Night Walk
There will be two Spectrum Night Walks in London and Manchester to celebrate the end of the campaign and raise vital funds to support those with autism. You can choose to walk 5k, 10k or 15k and take part on your own or as a team. The walks will take place on the 2nd of April at 8 pm. Learn more about the Spectrum Night Walks here.
Anne Hegerty’s Spectrum Quiz
Anne Hegerty, also known as the Governess from the quiz show The Chase, has created a spectrum quiz that includes a range of different questions about autism. You can try the quiz and raise some money to help support the creation of a society that works for autistic people. You can download the quiz here.
Information and fundraising pack
An information and fundraising pack is available to download from the National Autistic Society’s website. It contains all of the information about World Autism Acceptance Week, guides, resources and information about the activities happening throughout the week. You can download your pack here.
Throughout the year, we will be supporting a variety of events. To keep up to date with what we're up to, make sure to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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