After the general election: keep your MP informed about autism Members of Parliament (MPs) can act to champion the rights of people with autism both in their constituency and in Westminster. With their help laws can be passed or changed to make life better for people with autism. They can influence the Government to make policies that work better for people with autism. They can also ask the people who make decisions about services in your local area what they are doing to help people with autism. That’s why we need as many MPs as possible to understand more about autism and what life is like for people affected by the condition. And you can help us make this happen. After the election we will be launching a new programme to support people affected by autism who are aged 16 and over to meet their MP on a regular basis to tell them about key issues facing their constituents with autism and what MPs can do to help. People taking part in the programme will be asked to meet with their MP at least 4 times a year and to let the National Autistic Society know how the meeting goes. Participants should be willing to tell their MP about their own experiences, but also to raise the experiences of, and issues facing, other people with autism. To help them to do this they will get training about who their MP is and how to meet with them. They will also get ongoing phone and email support from NAS staff and regular briefings about some of the issues we are campaigning on that they may want to raise with their MP. Support from NAS staff could include someone to come with you to your first MP meeting, but you should expect to go to future MP meetings unaccompanied. If you would be interested in taking part, please complete the short form overleaf to tell us a bit about yourself. Unfortunately we can only provide training to around 12 people at any one time, so not everyone who contacts us will be able to get involved straight away, but after the election we will get back in touch with everyone who submits a form to let them know whether or not they have been chosen to take part. Please return your form to:

The Campaigns Team, The National Autistic Society, 393 City Road, London, EC1V 1NG

or campaign@nas.org.uk. If you would like help completing the form or more information about the programme, please contact us by emailing campaign@nas.org.uk or calling 020 7923 5799.

Yes! I want to keep my MP informed about autism after the general election Name: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Address: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………… Postcode: ………………………...................... Phone number: ………………………………….............................................................................. Email address: …………………………………………………………………………………………… Preferred method of contact: phone email

Age: 16 – 24 25 – 39 40 – 64 65 and over I am a (please tick all that apply): Person with autism Parent/carer of a child with autism Parent/carer of an adult with autism Professional who works with people with autism Other (please state) ………………………………………………………

I would like to keep my MP informed about autism because (maximum 200 words):

If you have met with any MPs before please tell us who they were: If you can, please also tell us which month and year you last met with them in, but don’t worry if you can’t remember, you can just tell us their name. Name of MP Date you last met them

(MM/YYYY)