Introducing Autistic Achievers

I have been working on a business idea for the last four months which I believe can change the way that autistic adults are treated in Great Britain, and the time now seems right to share it with you all as readers of My Autistic Life.

Finding employment is something which I and other people with autism have found tough, and it is a shame that it has to be that way.

There is a sense of independence and accomplishment that can be instilled in a person by having a job, and sadly that is something which people with autism are being denied as a 2012 report from the National Autistic Society stated.

Embracing The Undateables

12 disabled singletons, four of which are living with autism, have gone on a journey in front of television cameras to try and achieve one common goal that would make their lives much sweeter than it is as they live alone.

They are looking for love, and they have decided to let a viewing nation in on their search for it as they become The Undateables.

Following on from Truly Madly Deeply, a documentary which was shown in 2006 by Channel 4, a British television broadcaster, an opportunity to help each Undateable to find what they are looking for is a journey that viewers have been taken on over the last two years.

Happy New Year

My Autistic Life is entering its third year in 2013 and as I look to evolve it and improve it, I wish that all of you can have a great 12 months to come and that you all achieve your ambitions and dreams.

Looking back can sometimes be a bad thing to do as looking forward means that you can progress, and that is something which I am looking to do now as I’ve asked for your input on the Facebook page for this blog over the last few weeks.

As I decide where changes will be made and where I will refresh things though, I won’t be writing any new articles for My Autistic Life during January 2013.

DisABILITY in 2012 – A Paralympic homecoming

On Wednesday 29th August 2012, the 14th edition of the Summer Paralympic Games got underway with an opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in London, Great Britain and by doing so, came back to their spiritual home for the first time.

Not since the time of Sir Ludwig Guttmann, a German-born neurologist that gave hope to those with spinal injuries of a good life at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain, has the flagship event of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) returned to its founding nation, but it finally did in 2012.

He opened up opportunities to injured servicemen and women of a healthy and happy lifestyle as he opened up a National Spinal Injuries Centre at the hospital in February 1944 and from this, the Summer Paralympic Games were first held in Rome, Italy in 1960.

DisABILITY in 2012 – The British Paraorchestra

A group of British musicians have found a way of expressing themselves and in some cases, having a voice to share with others for the first time in their lives.

Thanks to Charles Hazlewood, a conductor who has led orchestras around the world for more than 20 years, the British Paraorchestra is welcoming people with a disability to make music and find a chance to shine which has often eluded them in the past.

In the words of Hazlewood himself, “The Paralympics have shifted attitudes, so we want to do the same with music and the performers have a great chance to showcase their skills” and where he admits that it can be tough for musicians to achieve mainstream popularity if they are disabled, his vision is offering an opportunity to challenge and change perceptions.

Latching on

Are you a latcher, or do you suspect that a close member of your family or a friend may be one?

It’s nothing to be worried about and it’s not something that you can catch by being in contact with somebody who latches.

However, you do need to be careful of the signs and make sure that when you begin to feel that a friend is moving too close to you and relying on you too much, you evaluate the situation and keep the latcher at a safe distance.

The Graduate

On the morning of Thursday 22nd November 2012, I achieved something which has been the biggest goal that I have tried to achieve in my lifetime to date.

I’ve graduated from a BA (Hons) degree course in Sports Journalism at Southampton Solent University and by doing so, escaped from a four-year hold of mental distress and ill feeling that made me look at my life in a completely different way to how I seen things before I began studying.

Sure, the classification of the qualification which I ended my time at university with is something that I still feel odd about, but I can now appreciate that I have gone a long way along my own personal journey by living independently, making friends and studying.