Sign our letter to Rishi Sunak

Everyone’s lives have been upended by coronavirus. But today, we’re releasing our new report, Left Stranded, that shows that the impact of coronavirus has hit the autistic community worse than most.

This isn’t fair – we need investment in local services to get our community back on its feet. The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is due to announce the Government’s spending plans for the next five years – we have to take action now to make sure that autistic people and families aren’t left stranded. Join our campaign by signing our letter to Rishi Sunak.

Since the pandemic, all the things that we used to rely on – schools, shops, transport, seeing friends and family – have changed. While most of us have been able to adapt to our new reality, autistic people and their families have been left stranded. The mental health, social care and education services they usually rely on were cut back during lockdown, leaving them to cope with the pandemic alone.  

The impact on our community has been devastating. Our survey in June and July found that autistic people were seven times more likely to be chronically lonely than the rest of the public. They were also six times more likely to have low life satisfaction. Anxiety was worse for autistic people who require a lot of support, as they were less likely to receive the information and advice they needed.

This is hugely unfair. We can’t allow a generation of autistic people to fall into a mental health crisis. 

We need funding for services that support autistic people.  And we need an action plan to make sure that autistic people are protected from the impact of another lockdown.

Right now, we have an opportunity to bring about these changes. We’re calling on Rishi Sunak to fund services for autistic people in the Government’s upcoming Spending Review. You can help us get his attention by signing our letter to show you support our calls. 

Thanks for your support! Together we can fight for a world that works for autistic people.

All the best,
Beth
Campaigns Manager

P.S. Please share our campaign with your friends and family – the more signatures we have, the louder our voice will be!