THE MOONSHOT VISION – A society free from discrimination

During 2022, autistic people and their families worked alongside the National Autistic Society to create a vision of a society that works for them – a vision launched this week in our groundbreaking Moonshot report. Throughout the week, we’re taking a closer look at each of the “Future Realities” – the five things autistic people told us would together make up a society that truly works for them. 

We’ll know that society works for autistic people and their families when it:

• Values autistic individuals
• Maximises autistic power
• Guarantees support
• Adapts public spaces and services
• Is free from discrimination

A society that works for autistic people is free from discrimination. It rejects stereotypes and stigma, removes the expectation to mask, and doesn’t accept being told to fit in as acceptable.

Autistic people should never be discriminated against for being autistic, nor for any adjustments they need or actions that may occur due to distress, excitement or overload. The harmful, outdated stereotypes of the past need to be eliminated and society’s expectations of people updated to allow for autistic people to be their authentic selves when they choose to be. A society that works for autistic people and their families wouldn’t rely on autistic people having to mask, and it wouldn’t make wrong assumptions that harm autistic people. 

As part of the insight-gathering with autistic people and their families last year, we considered different hypothetical scenarios and explored what these might look like in an autism-friendly future.

For example, "Asha" is going to her cousin’s wedding. In a society free from discrimination, this large social occasion can be as joyful for an autistic guest as for anyone else.

The venue hosting the reception communicates with Asha by email in the weeks leading up to the big day to make sure they’ve got her dietary requirements right and that she’s comfortable with where she’ll be sitting. The bride and groom have a social story on their wedding website showing photos of the venue, along with details about what will happen at different times during the day. The groom is planning a surprise for the bride, but he’s told Asha about it so she won’t be alarmed when a singer starts performing while they cut the cake. Asha can choose whether to stay in the room or step outside for a few minutes when this is happening – and she knows everyone at the wedding will understand if she needs to do this. 

When the wedding comes around, Asha “happy stims” freely through the ceremony and the reception. Everyone knows and respects that this is how Asha expresses joy. 

There is a huge amount of work to do to achieve a society that truly works for autistic people. But we choose to do it, along with hundreds of thousands of others. And we won’t stop until we succeed. 

To find out more, see The Moonshot Vision.

Tim Nicholls, Head of Influencing and Research, National Autistic Society