World Autism Acceptance Week 2024
The first week of April (Tuesday 2 April – Monday 8 April) marks World Autism Acceptance Week 2024!
Autism is a neurological, lifelong condition which affects how people communicate and interact with others and the world around them. Just some of the challenges faced by autistic people are:
• Finding it hard to understand how other people think or feel
• Finding loud noises or bright lights overwhelming
• Getting anxious or upset about unfamiliar surroundings.
As a result of the poor understanding of autism and autistic traits, autism can be perceived negatively, so it’s increasingly important that we raise awareness to create a positive world for autistic people to thrive!
Thanks to World Autism Acceptance Week, a focal part of World Autism Acceptance Month, not only is money being raised to provide safe virtual spaces, better autism training in education, diagnosis advice and guidance, and to help autistic people find meaningful work, it’s also providing a platform to spread the word on why neurodiversity should be celebrated!
Why is World Autism Acceptance Week so important to OAS?
Autistic people face challenges and discrimination across all aspects of society from health care to education, to employment, which can put them at a disadvantage in all parts of life. Research from the National Autistic Society illustrates the challenge:
• Only 26% of autistic pupils feel happy at school
• Only 29% of autistic people are in any form of employment
• 70% of autistic people experience mental health problems.
At OAS, we want to create an inclusive environment for all. We know that the world of engineering is at its best when creative and logical thinkers come together to innovate! Many autistic people possess unique strengths such, as high attention to detail and pattern recognition, which are highly valuable assets in the industry.
Through the continuous improvement of our training programmes and processes, we want to support those facing their own personal neurological challenges achieve success. For example, we’ve recently teamed up with Cognassist to embrace neurodiversity in the workplace.
This has truly transformed the awareness and understanding of cognitive diversity among employees, leading to increased empathy and support for colleagues with diverse cognitive profiles. We’re working with all colleagues to embrace a more inclusive mindset, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment.
Now, all our apprentices complete a Cognassist Assessment ahead of starting their programme with MTC Training. This digital cognitive screening supports determining accurate starting points and reduces barriers to learning, enabling us to to develop and offer a personalised and inclusive curriculum that is both accessible and adaptable.
What are we doing to raise awareness at OAS?
As well as promoting our new work with Cognassist, we’re committed to spreading the word about World Autism Acceptance Week and sharing best practice with our partners. We want to debunk the myths around autism and help our learners value individuality and support each other's needs.
With over 150,000 people on the waiting list for an autism assessment in the UK*, it’s vital that we get behind the National Autistic Society and support them in championing for better access to information, guidance and support to overcome barriers, as well as provide opportunities to develop skills. At OAS, we pride ourselves on creating a safe and inclusive environment for all, enabling our learners to build fruitful careers in engineering.
OAS apprentice, Sophie, who has ADHD and is autistic, talks about some of the challenges she faces, and how being neurodiverse is suited to a career in engineering in this case study video:
To find out more about our apprenticeship programmes, contact MTCTraining@the-mtc.org
* Statistics from World Autism Acceptance Week 2024