30th September 2018
The National Autistic Society (NAS) has rebranded itself this week with a superb new logo and a new vision. Therefore it seems like a good opportunity for me to say what I think about this charity and what it has done for me as an Autistic person.
Firstly a brief overview of the NAS, although obviously more information can be found on their website https://www.autism.org.uk/. The NAS has been running for 56 years as the number one charity supporting Autistic people in the UK. They offer a variety of services such as schooling, support, campaigning and much more for Autistic people of all ages, race, sex, disability or any minority groups.
The services they provide includes online information, community forums, diagnosis (at their London based Lorna Wing Centre), assisted living, services directories, one on one support, schooling, and most importantly they campaign for equality, changes in law and help raise awareness for Autism acceptance.
Although I have obviously not used all of these services, the ones I have used are as follows: I am a member of the society, I have used their website as a resource for information following my diagnosis, I joined their online forum to speak to other Autistics, I read their magazines, attended their shows at the NEC, Birmingham, attended their branch meetings and finally found a local support group for autistic adults via their services directory.
In fact most other Autistic people that I have met and communicated with both online and in real life have come through either direct or indirect contact with the NAS. I am a strong believer in the Autistic community and that Autistic people need each other, therefore the Autistic people I have found through the NAS Autism shows, online forums and service directory have been brilliant. I would like to thank the NAS for these services, although they may not have been some of their major ones such as assisted living etc., they have been a great help to my life on the spectrum.
Alongside this the NAS work to raise awareness of Autism is excellent. A great example of this is their “Too Much Information” series of videos which really capture what it feels like to struggle with sensory overload. These videos are so good I have used them to demonstrate to neurotypicals what a sensory overload experience is like for me. What a brilliant tool to share experience and raise understanding.
These videos also cover all age groups which is another thing the NAS get spot on, the video shows the viewpoints of children and adults. The NAS covers information on all age groups, something that I sometime feel that other charities get wrong just concentrating on children. Autistic children grow up to be Autistic adults and the NAS offer support on key subjects such as employment – an area which needs campaigning and support to reduce the “16% Autistic people in employment” statistic.
This leads me onto the rebranding of their vision which is simply – “A society that works for autistic people”. I feel that this works on so many levels. You can mean it to be the National Autistic Society itself, meaning that it is a charity that works for Autistic people. However it can also mean that the word society means the whole of the community and that the NAS works to improve the whole of society making it better for Autistic people to live in. Clever stuff.
I love the new logo. I have always felt personally that the old logo looked too clinical. The new logo is modern, bright and inviting. It is a smart design too, the shape of it representing a basic “A” standing for Autism, with a spectrum of colours forming the circle part. Autism is a spectrum where no two people are the same, and this represents this without the usual cliché rainbow colours (red, orange, yellow….etc.).
Don’t get me wrong the NAS do not always get it right. They make mistakes just like any other organisation and sometimes receive bad press. In my opinion though they seem to respond to this in a professional manner, quickly getting their point of view across in the best way.
As part of their rebranding, the NAS recognised individuals who have contributed to the organisation. These people, received a package in the post which when opened was a personal thank you “poster/card” for that individual with a picture of them on it fitting in with the new branding. I thought this was amazing act of kindness and appreciation. I saw lot of these pictures being posted on Twitter but also some Youtubers posted videos of them un-boxing their gift.
I have included three links to such videos here for you to view. They are great to view as you can see in each one the happiness and excitement that this simple thank you act has caused. They are a joy to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVNnjxdD704 Connor Ward
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpci72m0PwQ Sez Francis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJwMbXuIzNU Indie Andy
So to conclude with I want to thank the NAS for any service they have provided which has helped me during my time as being diagnosed on the spectrum and to wish them good luck with the new branding and for all the current and future work they are doing to improve the world for Autistic people.