Members' Business: Celebrating Autism Acceptance

That the Parliament acknowledges both World Autism Acceptance Week, which runs from 27 March to 2 April 2023, and World Autism Month, which is celebrated throughout April, and their aim to raise awareness of autism, educate the public and make the world a friendly place for autistic people; notes that the National Autistic Society (NAS) theme for World Autism Acceptance Week 2023 is "colour", and welcomes the fundraising events, including an in-person colour walk and colour virtual challenge, to support services; understands that more than one in 100 people in Scotland are autistic, and believes that accepting, promoting and celebrating the skills, thoughts, ideas and talents of autistic people supports those individuals to reach their full potential, while bringing positive benefits for wider society; further understands that the report, Closing the Accountability Gap, published by NAS and Scottish Autism, found that there is still a significant gap in the provision and access of appropriate support for autistic people across services such as schools, employment and healthcare; commends NAS and Scottish Autism for what it considers their continuous campaigning to promote autistic people’s rights and create a fairer and more accepting society, and in championing quality autism-specific services across Scotland, as well as their work to establish a Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodiversity Commissioner, and acknowledges the valuable work of local autism groups, such as HOPE for Autism and the Autism Resource Coordination Hub (ARCH) based in Lanarkshire, that work in partnership with autistic people.