Machita's launch week

Hello, my name is Machita Denny, mum of adult sons who both have Asperger's. I am an Ambassador for The National Autistic Society and was very proud to be able to attend the Push for Action campaign launch on Tuesday 14 May.

I have been involved in the planning and development of the campaign which was very interesting and enabled me to gain a good insight into how much time and dedication The NAS put into their work on our behalf. I was then invited to be one of the faces of the campaign which is a huge honour. The photo shoot was fun and again another fascinating experience.

I was delighted to have been part of the campaign launch event in parliament and along with other ambassadors was able to meet with and speak to many MPs. I was very pleased with how many MPs attended the launch and if some were unable to attend a member of staff from their office came along to talk and gather information to take back. This event was a very important opportunity to tell it like it is and get the messages across that adult services are woefully lacking and the impact this has on the autism community. It was also important to portray that there are pockets of good practice across the country that bring huge benefits. I like to share what can be done as it hopefully encourages those who may feel daunted by the prospects of getting started that it can be achieved, and how.

The MPs I spoke with were very interested and had some experience of autism. However, some were not aware of the real impact on people who have autism and their families that the lack of adult services really had. I hope that I was able to impose on them that what we are asking for is not a Christmas wish list but is desperately needed and often a matter of survival. This was all backed up by the Autism Act which should not be ignored.

This campaign is very important to me. I have battled and fought (as I am sure most of you who are reading this will also have done) as my children have grown up to try and secure some form of support for them and our family. Now they are adults I have had to start all over again. I hope that Push For Action will really get things moving and we will all see a significant improvement in the adult world. I am not expecting a huge rush but maybe the fact that the government are asking for evidence of movement this year will be the prompt that local authorities and health providers need to get a shift on. We can but hope!

Overall it was a great experience and if you have the chance to get involved, please do. The NAS are very supportive and welcoming and your voice really does make a difference.

Machita