The profile of the Autism Spectrum has increased over the last ten years; however, provision is still not effective for young adults. The behaviour of young adults on the spectrum- particularly those who are high functioning- is often misinterpreted by police, higher and further education staff and employers and this results in these individuals experiencing passive discrimination. Young adults on the spectrum often find it challenging to gain and indeed keep employment, not because they are not good at the job, but because their behaviour is misinterpreted and employers do not understand them and do not cater for their needs. There have been many occasions where young adults on the spectrum have been arrested and criminalized because their behaviour has been misinterpreted and police lack training or empathy to manage the situations appropriately. Thousands of people on the spectrum are denied Personal Independence Payment, because of the lack of understanding that assessors have of the true complexity of their needs.

This project is designed to raise awareness, provide training and support organisations and individuals to develop their understanding and put in place measures to allow young adults on the spectrum to achieve their potential. This will be achieved through research, publication of support materials and the development of training programmes for a range of sectors across the south west- with the aim of stretching beyond this in the future.

Any donation, however small, will help to get this project off the ground and will help us to educate key professionals in making the adult world- which can often be a challenging place for young adults on the spectrum- a safer and more understanding place.