At an event in Parliament, Sharon gave her backing to the launch of National Autism Project’s Autism Agenda.
There are an estimated 700,000 autistic people living in the UK with approximately one-third of autistic people having a learning disability and 80% at some point in their life suffering from a mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression.
The Autism Agenda showcases the National Autism Project’s recommendations to highlight barriers that autistic people face and how these can be addressed. These recommendations include timely identification and diagnosis, removing barriers to accessing social care and fighting stigma and discrimination.
Alongside the National Autism Project, the National Autistic Society, Autistica and the Autism Alliance, as well as the Westminster Commission on Autism, supported the Autism Agenda report and its recommendation.
Following the event, Sharon said:
“It was great to attend National Autism Project’s Autism Agenda launch in Parliament and offer my backing to such an important cause. It is important that the needs of those living with autism is supported, especially the need for more awareness and understanding of this condition and the lack of access to services to ensure a decent quality of life. This is something I feel passionately about and hope to see more work done in the future to support autistic people.”