Autism Act 2009

The Autism Bill has made it through its final parliamentary stage and will now become the Autism Act. The Act is the first ever disability-specific law in England.

The Autism Act started out as a Private Members Bill, drafted by The National Autistic Society (NAS) and taken forward by Conservative MP Cheryl Gillan. The Bill was backed by a coalition of 16 autism organisations and had overwhelming parliamentary support, being backed by all the main political parties.

The adult autism strategy

The Autism Act will guarantee the introduction of the first-ever adult autism strategy, which will set out how local services should be improved to meet the needs of adults with autism.

The strategy will cover a range of issues including health, social care, employment and training and, crucially, will be accompanied by guidance which places a legal obligation on local authorities and NHS bodies to meet certain requirements.

The strategy will be published by April 2010 and the accompanying legal guidance no later than December 2010.

We continue to campaign

We want to make sure the adult autism strategy is as strong as it can be.

For this reason, we have launched our Don't Write Me Off campaign, We want the Government - and the new autism strategy - to tackle the shocking proportion of adults with autism who are cut off from employment support or benefits.

Take action now while this opportunity for change exists. Email your MP today and ask them to support the Don't Write Me Off campaign.

You can find out what the Autism Act 2009 means for you by reading the document Autism Act: frequently asked questions, at the bottom of this page.