{"id":1113,"date":"2020-04-27T15:12:35","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T15:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/?page_id=1113"},"modified":"2025-04-05T17:33:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T17:33:25","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"title\">\n  <h1 class=\"title-aboutus\">About Us<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"ndsa-accordion\">\n  <hr>\n  <a name=\"ww\" id=\"ww\"><\/a>\n  <div class=\"container ww\">\n    <div class=\"label\"><span class=\"button-toggle\"><\/span>Who we are<\/div>\n    <div class=\"content\">\n      <div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n        <p>\n          We are an advocacy by neurodivergent people for neurodivergent people.\n          We came together as non profit voluntary group to build a\n          self-advocacy and peer to peer support network dedicated to empowering\n          autistic adults, harnessing our talents. overcoming our barriers and\n          achieving equality in employment, relationship, and wellbeing.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <p>\n          We want to transform the attitude to autism in society and develop\n          services that are relevant and helpful to us.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <p>Our motto is: \u2018Nothing about us without us\u2019<\/p>\n        <h3>Our Values<\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          Forgiving, Supportive, Acting with integrity, Trust, Equality,\n          Dignity, Ambition for autistic people\n        <\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <hr>\n  <a name=\"om\" id=\"om\"><\/a>\n  <div class=\"container om\">\n    <div class=\"label\"><span class=\"button-toggle\"><\/span>Our mission<\/div>\n    <div class=\"content\">\n      <ul>\n        <li>\n          The support and enablement of Neurodivergent People to lead healthy\n          and fulfilling lives, achieve their life goals and realise their\n          potential in order to achieve equality and fully contribute to\n          society.\n        <\/li>\n        <ol type=\"i\">\n          <li>\n            By Neurodivergent People we mean people on the autistic spectrum,\n            who may also have ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and co-occurring\n            conditions such as epilepsy, OCD, Bipolar etc\u2026\n          <\/li>\n          <li>\n            Autistic Spectrum Disorder includes Autism, Asperger\u2019s, PDD-NOA\n          <\/li>\n        <\/ol>\n        <li>\n          We will provide an online platform for those who want to find detailed\n          information about Autism Spectrum Condition and Neurodiversity. This\n          interactive platform will be organised by those on the spectrum who\n          can offer advice and guidance based on their own experiences and\n          understanding autism from within.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          We are an autistic-led group that promotes (self)advocacy by\n          neurodivergent people for neurodivergent people. We will enable\n          Neurodivergent people to support each other, provide peer to peer\n          support and coaching right from the suspicion of the diagnosis,\n          throughout the diagnosis process and beyond.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          We will support Neurodivergent people to achieve their life goals such\n          as obtaining qualifications, achieving and retaining fulfilling\n          employment, forming and raising a family and aging happily by\n          providing tailored peer to peer advice and support based on our lived\n          experience and inside knowledge of our condition.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          Too often those classed as with so called \u2018low level needs\u2019 only\n          receive support at crisis point. We will support and enable all\n          neurodivergent people who need specific tailored support in order to\n          successfully achieve their potential.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          We will advocate for autism acceptance as part of human diversity,\n          achieving equality for neurodivergent people in all aspects of human\n          endeavour they choose.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          We will operate an open national Neurodivergent Self Advocacy\n          organisation that will provide a forum (\u201ca place to discuss\u201d), with an\n          open process for autistic adults to discuss priorities and needs. We\n          will be the voice of adults on the spectrum, at a national scale that\n          is distinct from the voice of professionals working in autism and\n          organisations set up to provide support for families with children on\n          the spectrum. This provides us with the authority to discuss autistic\n          needs from a Neurodivergent perspective for which current structures\n          have no capacity.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          We will provide a space for autistic people &nbsp;&nbsp;to contribute,\n          to get involved, to use the wealth of skill and knowledge autistic\n          people have, utilise their lived experience and inside knowledge of\n          autism. Autistic people can do a lot to support each other and\n          basically themselves.\n        <\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <hr>\n  <a name=\"tu\" id=\"tu\"><\/a>\n  <div class=\"container tu\">\n    <div class=\"label\">\n      <span class=\"button-toggle\"><\/span>The uniqueness of this organisation\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"content\">\n      <ul>\n        <li>\n          Utilising the talents and knowledge of autistic people to support\n          themselves and each other.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          For autistic adults currently ignored or ineligible for services, by\n          autistic people, peer to peer.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          We catch those that fall through the gap, adults that are undiagnosed,\n          late diagnosed, the misdiagnosed.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          We aim to support autistic people based on their individual needs in\n          overcoming the specific barriers they face in their wellbeing,\n          employment, family life and participation in the community.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          We are the experts on our condition, we know the system because we\n          have direct experience of it. Understanding autism from within\n          provides the right perspective to shape and channel support.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          Autistic people speaking for themselves, not through \u2018experts\u2019 or NT\n          family members.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          National scale and a forum based organisation enables to achieve scale\n          to meet the broadest possible range of needs and harness the\n          contributions of autistic people who are currently not served by\n          available services to improve the input of autistic people into the\n          understanding of their needs and ways to meet them.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          Shifting focus from seeing autistic people as being receivers of care\n          and benefits and being primarily a cost to society, towards enabling\n          de-stigmatisation and acceptance of autism, enabling autistic people\n          to be in gainful employment, function independently and participate\n          fully in all aspects of life as they choose.\n        <\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <hr>\n  <a name=\"wi\" id=\"wi\"><\/a>\n  <div class=\"container wi\">\n    <div class=\"label\"><span class=\"button-toggle\"><\/span>What is the need<\/div>\n    <div class=\"content\">\n      <h3>Autistic people experience<\/h3>\n\n      <ul>\n        <li>\n          Staggeringly lower life expectancy (53.9 years vs 70.2 in general\n          population).\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          High suicide rate [2] and high suicide risk. 40% of adults who\n          attempted suicide self-reported high autistic traits. 41% of autistic\n          children showed signs of suicide ideation.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>High rate of mental health problems.<\/li>\n        <li>\n          Only 16% of autistic people are employed while 77% want to work.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          Autistic adults are vulnerable to many types of negative life\n          experience, including employment difficulties, financial hardship,\n          domestic abuse and \u2018mate-crime\u2019. Individuals with the highest number\n          of negative life experiences also experienced the highest number of\n          current anxiety and depression symptoms and the lowest current life\n          satisfaction.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          Financial hardship: 45% of autistic adults said they had had a period\n          of life without enough money to meet basic needs, compared to 25% of\n          the non-autistic adults.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          Domestic abuse: 20% of autistic adults that had been in a relationship\n          had been sexual abused by their partner, compared to 9% of the\n          non-autistic adults, and \u2018mate-crime\u2019: 70% said they had been bullied\n          by someone they considered to be a friend, compared to 31% of the\n          non-autistic adults.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          78% of autistic adults experienced sexually abuse, \u2013 an almost\n          three-fold increased risk; sexual perpetrators actively target ND\n          individuals.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          Lower quality of life (QoL) than the general population in the UK.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          Being in a relationship and receiving support, being employed, and\n          having someone to talk to, someone to do things with are positive\n          predictors of Qol\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          Better wellbeing in adults correlate with positive autism identity,\n          understanding and recognition of contribution to society, perceived\n          belonging, perceived social support and autism-led spaces, i.e. being\n          amongst autistic people.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          Alternatively, interventions aimed at neurotypical populations that\n          promote ASD acceptance may lead to increased QoL that is not dependent\n          on autistic people changing who they are.\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          \u201cThis research highlights the challenges that autistic adults face in\n          our society. With the right support many of these events are\n          preventable\u201d, said Sarah Griffiths.\n        <\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <hr>\n  <a name=\"tt\" id=\"tt\"><\/a>\n  <div class=\"container tt\">\n    <div class=\"label\"><span class=\"button-toggle\"><\/span>The team<\/div>\n    <div class=\"content\">\n      <p>\n        We are a group that came together on the autism related forum to form\n        this voluntary not for profit organisation.\n      <\/p>\n      <h3>Maria<\/h3>\n      <p>\n        Chair and Managing Director, MPhil, MBA, PG Cert and MA Autism. She has \n        5 years experience of developing and delivering NDSA research and lived\n        experience informed services. In that capacity she won the Innovate UK\n        Women In Innovation Award. I entered the autism space by advocating and\n        dealing with my children\u2019s diagnosis and SEN provisions at school.\n        However soon I realised that autism, or then Asperger, was the name for\n        what was happening to me all my life.&nbsp; I am an MBA qualified\n        chemical engineer by training and worked in blue chip companies in new\n        product development and marketing. &nbsp;I have 12 years\u2019 experience of\n        advocacy and 8 years\u2019 experience of advising people on a popular forum\n        for parents. Watching my girls, I know building positive autism identity\n        is hugely important. I came across some demeaning and dehumanising\n        conversations about autistic people and realised that equality is not a\n        forgone conclusion. We need to work for it for us and for the sake of\n        our children. So I joined with others to start this voluntary\n        organisation.\n      <\/p>\n      <h3>Catriona<\/h3>\n      <p>\n        Catriona\u2019s, OBE, PhD, work is focused on community engagement,\n        participatory action research, equality, diversity and inclusion, and\n        Human Rights. Her PhD focussed on the lived experiences of autistic\n        girls, at a time when they were entirely absent from research and policy\n        discussions after which she founded charity, SWAN: Scottish Women\u2019s\n        Autism Network, with a small group of volunteers. SWAN is focused on\n        building on the knowledge base, and empowering the individual through\n        valuing lived experience expertise, sharing peer-support, and promoting\n        a positive self- narrative.\n      <\/p>\n      <h3>Andy<\/h3>\n      <p>\n        Andy is our Finance Director and step-father to autistic children. He is\n        embedding sound financial management processes to support the efficient\n        delivery of services. As a Chartered Accountant he has many years of\n        audit and project experience in mostly financial services companies as\n        well as advising Boards and Management teams on their approach to\n        strategy, governance and risk management. He is using his experience of\n        strategy, governance to further develop the NDSA and provide support.\n      <\/p>\n      <h3>Richard<\/h3>\n      <p>\n        Our IT director Richard is an expert by experience and a technology\n        leader responsible for the development and implementation of technology\n        strategy to meet current and future needs. He ensures organisations\n        realise measurable benefits and value from IT change. He has over 20\n        years of experience working at IBM, Capgemini, PwC and Deloitte and\n        providing services to FTSE100, Public Sector and not for profit\n        organisations. Richard oversees our ICT and information security\n        strategy and execution and manages the ICT contractors and volunteers.\n      <\/p>\n      <p>\n        Our directors and employees are autistic and multineurodivergent.\n        Together we have experience of very broad range of issues affecting\n        autistic people, from parenting neurodivergent children to dealing with\n        trauma.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <h3>Our experts by experience steering group<\/h3>\n\n      <h3>Simon<\/h3>\n      <p>\n        I am an electrical engineer. I moderate a professional forum and manage\n        my own electronics business. I hope to see a change in attitude towards\n        \u201cautistic\u201d people and have a decent online platform to use. I believe we\n        should be pushing the idea that there is a diversity in society. There\n        is sliding scale from NT to Autistic. The cut-off point between NT and\n        Autistic is impossible to define, we are proof of that in trying to help\n        those that miss out on a diagnosis. We should be pushing for an\n        understanding that we are not all the same and there should be more\n        tolerance in society.\n      <\/p>\n      <h3>Alex<\/h3>\n      <p>\n        Alex is an MBA qualified, international finance executive with a proven\n        track record over the last 20+ years working across all aspects of\n        operational finance, restructuring and transformation, P&amp;L\n        turnarounds as well as managing complex international controllership,\n        audit and risk mitigation activities. During this time Alex also held\n        several international board positions most recently in the UK as a\n        trustee of his company\u2019s pension plan.\n      <\/p>\n      <h3>Spencer<\/h3>\n      <p>\n        Volunteer financial auditor and advisor, chartered management accountant\n        with 16 years\u2019 experience in a variety of sectors. Before he was analyst\n        at UBS, PwC and GE Capital. Currently works as a finance manager and a\n        strategy consultant for a couple of firms\n      <\/p>\n      <h3>Digby<\/h3>\n      <p>\n        BSc Electronic, Computer and Systems Engineering with a career in\n        Aircraft Systems and hobbies with hardware\/Software on Windows\/Mac\n        machines. Diagnosed in Sept 2019 at 51 with Asperger\u2019s. Learning lots\n        about the journey as an adult whilst finding the gaps in the world view\n        of Neuro-Divergent people.\n      <\/p>\n      <h3>Quinn<\/h3>\n      <p>\n        I work in the optical industry. Been doing it 30 years. I\u2019m the big-data\n        guy at the company I work for these days but I\u2019ve done loads of\n        different jobs in the business. I am also Autistamatic and rum my own\n        autistic vlog.\n      <\/p>\n      <h3>Ryan<\/h3>\n      <p>\n        I have skills in website design, art, running a business, social media,\n        marketing strategy. I hope the world would understand autistic people\n        better and do things in a logical order.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <hr>\n  <a name=\"ab\" id=\"ab\"><\/a>\n  <div class=\"container tt\">\n    <div class=\"label\">\n      <span class=\"button-toggle\"><\/span>The advisory board\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"content\">\n      <p>\n        Our advisory group offers valuable expertise, advice, and guidance on\n        our initiatives, ensuring they are effective and impactful. They provide\n        critical feedback to refine our strategies and help us navigate complex\n        challenges. Their support is essential in shaping the success of our\n        programs.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"bio\">\n        <h3>Professor Nicola Martin<\/h3>\n        <p>\n          <strong>Head of Research, Higher Degrees and Student Experience at London\n            South Bank University<\/strong>\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          Professor Nicola Martin is currently Interim Director of LSBU\u2019s\n          Research Centre for Social Justice and Global Responsibility. She has\n          an extensive leadership background in equality in higher education and\n          disability\/autism research and is a founder member of The\n          Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC). Nicola leads the MA\n          Autism\/Education and EdD at LSBU as well as the Critical Autism and\n          Disability Studies Research Group. Nicola is a member of the\n          Westminster Autism Commission and Principal Investigator on two\n          current research projects focusing on older autistic people\u2019s\n          wellbeing and access to annual health checks. She delivers\n          research-informed accredited mentor training aimed at mentoring\n          autistic adults.\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          Nicola has 35 years\u2019 experience in education working with disabled\n          pupils and students from nursery age to adults in FE and HE and an\n          international research profile in the field. Her research interests\n          are informed by emancipatory principles and include: universal design\n          for inclusive learning, multi-agency collaboration, equality and\n          diversity, critical disability\/autism studies, mentoring and\n          understanding bereaved parents and siblings.\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          Nicola is also a Visiting Fellow at Cambridge and Sheffield Hallam\n          Universities, a National Teaching Fellow and a Fellow of the RSA.\n        <\/p>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"bio\">\n        <h3>Professor (Hon.) Dr Geraldine Akerman<\/h3>\n        <p>\n          <strong>Consultant Forensic Psychologist, Clinical Lead for Psychological\n            Pathway<\/strong>\n        <\/p>\n        <p>PhD C.Psychol (Foren). HCPC Registered Psychologist EuroPsy.<\/p>\n        <p>\n          I worked for the prison service since 1999 on cognitive behaviour\n          programmes and in a democratic therapeutic community. I now work for\n          Oxford Health NHS Trust at HMP Grendon and Springhill, Bullingdon and\n          Huntercombe as Clinical Lead for Psychological Pathway. I am a\n          reviewer for Forensic Update and have completed a PhD, the Development\n          and validation of a psychometric measure of current sexual interest\n          with the University of a Birmingham. I am also a Chartered Forensic\n          and EuroPsych and HCPC registered Psychologist. Proud Trustee for the\n          Safer Living Foundation and TC Specialist with the Royal College of\n          Psychiatrists.\n        <\/p>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"bio\">\n        <h3>Dr Oliver George Downing<\/h3>\n        <p>\n          <strong>Commissioner Specialising in Autism, Neurodivergence\/Neurodiversity\n            and Learning Disabilities (\u00c2\u00fb)<\/strong>\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          I am an accomplished academic researcher and teacher (2013-present)\n          with previous experience working in legal services (2007-2013) and\n          hospitality (2005-2008).\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          With five years\u2019 experience as a University Teacher in the University\n          of Liverpool\u2019s Department of Philosophy, I have extensive experience\n          of designing and delivering academic curricula, and assessing student\n          assignments across a broad range of philosophy modules, such as:\n          business ethics; critical, analytical and creative thinking; and,\n          logic.\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          My doctoral research, for instance, exploited my ability to combine\n          creative and systematic approaches by applying theoretical concepts\n          from one area of philosophy to solve ostensibly intractable problems\n          in another area of philosophy to innovative effect. In my role as\n          General Editor of the Journal of Badiou Studies; I gained experience\n          of budgeting, client liaison, and project management whilst chairing\n          the organising committee of two academic conferences; and, developed\n          my auditing and consulting skills in my role as an External Review\n          Panellist for Reaccreditation of Postgraduate Study Programmes for\n          Croatia\u2019s Agency for Science and Higher Education.\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          As a freelance neurodivergent associate, I act as an expert by\n          experience on Creased Puddle&#8217;s neurodiversity training on an ad hoc\n          basis. Each assignment is different, but the primary responsibilities\n          usually include: presenting on neurodiversity, what it&#8217;s like to be\n          neurodivergent and my personal experience as a neurodivergent person;\n          acting as a mock candidate in a simulated job interview and provide\n          trainees with feedback on how their performance in interviewing\n          neurodivergent candidates; and\/or, attending targeted stages of client\n          companies&#8217; recruitment processes (e.g., assessment events and\n          interviews, etc.) and providing feedback.\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          As the Integrated Care Board&#8217;s (ICB) subject matter expert for autism\n          and neurodiversity, my key responsibilities sat within Joined Up Care\n          Derbyshire&#8217;s (JUCD) multi-agency strategic commissioning function for\n          learning disabilities and autism (LD&amp;A). Principally, as the lead\n          commissioner for JUCD&#8217;s autism community of practice (COP), I worked\n          with NHS and local authority commissioners, and representatives of NHS\n          provider trusts and local voluntary, community and social enterprise\n          sector (VCSE) to ensure strategic commissioning is as joined up,\n          efficient and effective as possible throughout Derby and Derbyshire.\n        <\/p>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"bio\">\n        <h3>Jacqueline Moran<\/h3>\n        <p>\n          <strong>Independent career management consultant and cultural\n            mediator<\/strong>\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          Active in the field of international employability for groups and\n          individuals from the public, education, and third sector. She has\n          developed a particular forte in working with disadvantaged groups.\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          Jacky has completed her MA in Career Guidance from Canterbury Christ\n          Church University. Her other qualifications include an MSc in Social\n          Psychology from the London School of Economics and QCG Level 7 in\n          Career Guidance Practice in addition to a BSc in Psychology from the\n          University of Puerto Rico.\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          A registered career development professional member of the Career\n          Development Institute (CDI). Jacky is also a member of the British\n          Psychological Society (BPS), The National Autistic Society (NAS),\n          Disabilities Rights UK, The Association for Child, and Adolescent\n          Mental Health (ACAMH).\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          She has been a Mentor and Non-managerial Supervisor for Neurodiverse\n          Self Advocacy (NDSA) since 2021.\n        <\/p>\n        <p>Further information:<\/p>\n        <ul>\n          <li>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jackymoran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn Profile<\/a>\n          <\/li>\n          <li>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mylifework.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">My Life Work<\/a>\n          <\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"bio\">\n        <h3>Alicja Nocon<\/h3>\n        <p><strong>Autistic coach and mentor<\/strong><\/p>\n        <p>\n          Alicja (\u2018A-lee-tsya\u2019) is a late-diagnosed autistic coach and mentor.\n          Having gone through her own journey of self-discovery and\n          self-acceptance after receiving her autism diagnosis in 2020 when she\n          was in her 30s, she now helps other late diagnosed\/self-identified\n          neurodivergent professionals make sense of who they are and how they\n          want to be, so they can thrive and not just survive. Alicja\u2019s previous\n          background is in the financial services sector, where she worked for\n          10 years for several organisations.\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          Alicja\u2019s professional qualifications include an accreditation with the\n          European Mentoring and Coaching Council at the Senior Practitioner\n          level and a Master\u2019s degree in Applied Positive Psychology and\n          Coaching Psychology from the University of East London (Distinction).\n          She is currently working towards a Professional Certificate of\n          Advanced Study in Coaching Supervision at Oxford Brookes University.\n        <\/p>\n        <p>\n          Alicja is an active member of the autistic community. She regularly\n          participates at Autscape, the autistic conference, and shares her\n          reflections in her blog. Alicja\u2019s research on character strengths of\n          autistic adults in the UK has been published in a peer-reviewed\n          academic journal.\n        <\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <hr>\n  <a name=\"faq\" id=\"faq\"><\/a>\n  <div class=\"container faq\">\n    <div class=\"label\"><span class=\"button-toggle\"><\/span>FAQ<\/div>\n    <div class=\"content\">\n      <div class=\"entry-content\">\n        <!-- <div class=\"ndsaFontPara\">\n              <p>\n                The questions about who we are , our aims and what we do\n                are addressed in the\n                <a color=\"blue\" href=\"http:\/\/ndsa.uk\/wordpress-test\/?\"\n                  ><b>About Us<\/b><\/a\n                >\n                section of the website.\n              <\/p>\n            <\/div> -->\n\n        <!-- <ul >\n              <li><a href=\"#quest3\">Are you a charity?<\/a><\/li>\n              <li>\n                <a href=\"#quest2\"\n                  >Are members or trustees of NDSA paid?<\/a\n                >\n              <\/li>\n              <li>\n                <a href=\"#quest4\"\n                  >Are you operational and how do you actively provide\n                  public benefit?<\/a\n                >\n              <\/li>\n              <li>\n                <a href=\"#quest6\"\n                  >Are your activities for the benefit of the\n                  community?<\/a\n                >\n              <\/li>\n              <li><a href=\"#quest11\">Do you have premises?<\/a><\/li>\n              <li>\n                <a href=\"#quest9\"\n                  >How do you comply with the Equality Act 2010?<\/a\n                >\n              <\/li>\n              <li><a href=\"#quest10\">How are you financed?<\/a><\/li>\n              <li>\n                <a href=\"#quest13\"\n                  >How we manage volunteer applications?<\/a\n                >\n              <\/li>\n              <li>\n                <a href=\"#quest5\"\n                  >Do I become a member if I register on the forum?<\/a\n                >\n              <\/li>\n              <li><a href=\"#quest12\">What about Neurodiversity?<\/a><\/li>\n              <li>\n                <a href=\"#quest1\">What is the cost of participating?<\/a>\n              <\/li>\n              <li><a href=\"#quest7\">What is the legal status?<\/a><\/li>\n              <li><a href=\"#quest8\">Who can become a member?<\/a><\/li>\n              <li><a href=\"#quest14\">Is the forum moderated?<\/a><\/li>\n            <\/ul> -->\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest1\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>1.\n          What is the cost of participating?\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          Our forum and community are completely free of charge. The is no\n          payment required at any time as a member of the forum. We are a\n          voluntary not for profit organisation and welcome voluntary donations,\n          but they are not in any way conditions for participating on the site.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest2\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>2.\n          Are members or trustees of NDSA paid?\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          No, our Directors are volunteers, donating their time. Within a period\n          of 6 months our current Directors contributed as individuals about 260\n          volunteer-hours completely free of charge.&nbsp; We are a Community\n          Interest Company and Directors have the right to be paid but choose\n          not to. In accordance with the law, Directors and volunteers can be\n          reimbursed for agreed expenses incurred in furthering our aims.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest3\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>3.\n          Are you a charity?\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          We are a Community Interest Company (CIC) limited by guarantee. This\n          allows to limit the liability and enter contracts in the name of the\n          CIC. By law a CIC is not considered a charity, but are acting in the\n          interest of the community as described in our Mission (form CIC 36).\n          &nbsp;Our aims are for the interest of the community. We are\n          registered with the company house under the number 12230781.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest4\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>4.\n          Are you operational and how do you actively provide public benefit?\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          We are a new organisation starting up, building our website and\n          getting off the ground. We were operating informally before converting\n          into a Community Interest Company in December 2019. We provided\n          submission to the Autism Strategy consultation and the consultation\n          for the Harmful Content Online, our members as individuals provide\n          support and advice on forums. We are launching our forum and are\n          actively building the tools to carry out our aims.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest5\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span><br>\n          5. Do I become a member if I register on the forum?\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          No, by registering on the forum \/ website you become a user of the\n          forum. You are not becoming a member of the Community Interest Company\n          (CIC) and are not committing to advocacy work. &nbsp;You can choose to\n          become a member of the CIC later and as a separate process, but it is\n          not compulsory or necessary for your use of the forum.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest6\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>\n          6. Are your activities for the benefit of the community?\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          Providing community support and peer advice to autistic adults in\n          overcoming barriers and disadvantages of their disability is for the\n          benefit of the community. Providing support for people with a\n          particular disability is deemed to be supporting sufficiently large\n          part of the community, hence is for the community benefit. It is also\n          for the benefit of the community to tackle social exclusion and build\n          capacity of autistic adults to support themselves and each-other,\n          which we aim to achieve by enacting our plans.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest7\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>7.\n          What is the legal status\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          We are a Community Interest Company limited by guarantee. This is a\n          common legal form for a limited liability community benefit social\n          enterprise [link to the Resource centre\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/www.resourcecentre.org.uk\/information\/legal-structures-for-community-and-voluntary-groups\/#cic\">https:\/\/www.resourcecentre.org.uk\/information\/legal-structures-for-community-and-voluntary-groups\/<\/a>]. We are registered with the Company House with the number 12230781.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest8\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>8.\n          Who can become a member?\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          Anyone can register on the forum. You don\u2019t need to be a member to use\n          the forum. Membership of the CIC is open to adults over 18 on autism\n          spectrum, who share our aims and vision and are accepting the rules\n          and Articles of Association of the CIC, following a decision by the\n          Directors. To become a member, you need to apply to the Directors via\n          \u2018contact us\u2019.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest9\"><\/span>9. How do you comply with the Equality Act\n          2010?\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          We are an equal opportunity organisation for autistic people. We have\n          an Equal Opportunity policy. Our focus on neurodivergent adults on the\n          autism spectrum aims to mitigate the disadvantage autistic adults\n          experience in society due to their autism. \u2018Equality Act permits\n          non-profit voluntary organisations to benefit people defined by\n          reference to a \u2018protected characteristic\u2019, provided the restriction of\n          benefits to people having that characteristic is justified in relation\n          to the purpose. The courts will generally accept that a purpose\n          benefits a sufficient section of the public if its beneficiaries are\n          defined by a need, or a \u2018protected characteristic\u2019,<sup>, <\/sup>where\n          the benefits are provided in order to tackle a particular disadvantage\n          or need linked to that protected characteristic\u2019, according to the\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/equality-act-guidance-for-charities\/equality-act-guidance-for-charities\">guidance<\/a>.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest10\"><\/span>10. How is the organisation financed?&nbsp;\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          We are funded by private donations from members and are developing an\n          operational site in line with our aims. We are actively applying for\n          grants. If you feel our aims and activities are worthwhile, please\n          support us by making an affordable donation and \/ or become a\n          supporter.&nbsp;\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest11\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>11.\n          Do you have premises?\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          Physical premises are not relevant to our aims. We operate on our\n          forum and in our online collaborative space. We have a registered\n          address.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <p>\n          We also have an active working team space on Slack. Slack is used by\n          leading organisations like IBM, BBC, Ocado etc. as it enables remote\n          teams to collaborate on the same platform. New joiners can see what\u2019s\n          already been discussed and shared rather than join a conversation\n          mid-stream.&nbsp;\n        <\/p>\n\n        <p>\n          Slack customer examples:\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/slack.com\/intl\/en-gb\/customer-stories\">https:\/\/slack.com\/intl\/en-gb\/customer-stories<\/a>&nbsp; Slack introductory use video:\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9RJZMSsH7-g\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9RJZMSsH7-g<\/a>.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest12\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>12.\n          What about Neurodiversity\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          Although we are a home for autistic people (with or without\n          co-occurring conditions) we promote the idea that there is a diversity\n          in society. The cut off point between NT and Autistic is nuanced, we\n          are proof of that in trying to help those that miss out on a\n          diagnosis. There is a sliding scale from NT to Autistic. Our society\n          is othering those that are different and sometimes is demonising them.\n          We should be pushing for an understanding that we are not all the same\n          and there should be more tolerance in society.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest13\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>13.\n          How we manage volunteer applications.&nbsp;\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          We will post volunteering opportunities on our Advocacy Forum and on\n          Reach Volunteering.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <p>\n          We are open and committed to equal opportunities and welcome\n          applications from all people with the required skills that want to\n          contribute and support our aims as volunteers or even as directors if\n          appropriate, as provided by our Articles of Association. Given the\n          nature of our organisation&nbsp; we have to consider the volunteers\u2019\n          motivation and fit with our aims as one of the factors amongst others.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <p>\n          We will invite candidates to&nbsp; an online discussion. Prior to this\n          we may exchange with the candidate a few questions to consider.\n          &nbsp;In the online meeting we will introduce ourselves and share key\n          relevant information, the candidates will have every opportunity to\n          ask questions and discuss. We may arrange additional online or face to\n          face meetings as required.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <h3>\n          <span id=\"quest14\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -100px\"><\/span>14.\n          Is the forum moderated?\n        <\/h3>\n\n        <p>\n          Yes. But it is not pre-moderated, so you need to report to us the\n          posts that violate the rules and terms of use\n        <\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <hr>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>\n@import url(\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Noto+Sans&display=swap\");\n* {\n  font-family: noto sans;\n}\n\n.title {\n  background-image: url(\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/forum\/ndsa_images\/image_aboutus.jpg\");\n  background-size: cover;\n  background-position: right center;\n  color: white;\n  padding: 1rem 2.5rem;\nborder-radius: 5px;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion {\n  font-family: noto sans;\n  color: black;\n  margin-bottom: 5rem;\n  -webkit-user-select: none;\n     -moz-user-select: none;\n      -ms-user-select: none;\n          user-select: none;\n  \/*   .container.active  {\n    background-color: #cacaca;\n  }\n  \n    .container.active .label {\n    color: white !important;\n  }\n   *\/\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion h1 {\n  text-align: center;\n  margin: 40px 0;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion h3 {\n  font-size: 20px !important;\n  font-weight: bolder;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion ul li {\n  margin: 1rem 0;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion .container .label {\n  margin-left: 1rem !important;\n  font-size: 1.7rem;\n  color: #555;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion .container {\n  position: relative;\n  padding: 1rem 0;\n  background-color: #f1f1f1;\n  border-radius: 10px;\n  font-weight: bolder;\n  cursor: pointer;\n  -webkit-box-shadow: 5px 10px #888888;\n          box-shadow: 5px 10px #888888;\n  background: white;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion .container:hover {\n \n    background-color: rgb(175, 175, 175);\n\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion .container:hover .label {\n  color: white !important;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion .container:hover .label::before {\n  color: white !important;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion .content {\n  position: relative;\n  background: white;\n  font-size: 20px;\n  text-align: justify;\n  overflow: hidden;\n  -webkit-transition: 0.25s;\n  transition: 0.25s;\n  padding: 0 1rem;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion .content > * {\n  font-size: 14px;\n  font-weight: normal;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion hr {\n  width: 100;\n  margin-left: 0;\n  border: 0px solid grey;\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion .container.active .content {\n  \/* height: inherit; 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*\/\n}\n\n#ndsa-accordion .container.active .content {\n  max-height: 20000px;\n  \/* transition: max-height 0.25s ease-in; *\/\n}\n\n\/*\n* Media queries\n*\/\n@media (max-width: 550px) {\n  #ndsa-accordion .container ul,\n  #ndsa-accordion .container ol {\n    padding-left: 10px !important;\n  }\n  #ww,\n  #om,\n  #tu,\n  #wi,\n  #tt,\n  #faq {\n    scroll-margin-top: 50px !important;\n  }\n}\n\/*# sourceMappingURL=style.css.map *\/\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<script>\n\/*\n* add toggle section functionality\n*\/\nconst accordion = document.getElementsByClassName('container');\n\nfor (i=0; i<accordion.length; i++) {\n  accordion[i].addEventListener('click', function () {\n    this.classList.toggle('active')\n  })\n}\n\n\/*\n* open and jump to section if queryparam in url\n*\/\nconst urlSearchParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);\nvar params = Object.fromEntries(urlSearchParams.entries());\n\/\/ console.log(params);\n\nvar el = document.querySelector('.' + params.section);\nif (el !== null) {\n    \/\/ console.log('el not null..');\n    \/\/ console.log(params.section);\n    \n    el.classList.add('active');\n    setInterval(()=>location.hash = \"#\" + params.section, 200)\n}\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<style>\n\n\n\/*\n* Media queries\n*\/\n@media (max-width: 650px) {\n  #post-1113 > div > div.title > h1 {\n      font-size: 2.2rem !important;\n  }\n\n  #post-1113 > div > div.title {\npadding-left: 10px !important;\n  }\n}\n\n\n\n.p-title {\ndisplay:none;\n}\n\n.accordion h3 {\nfont-size: 15px;\nfont-weight: bolder !important;\n}\n\n.container {\nmargin-bottom: 1rem;\n}\n\n.content {\n \n}\n\n.ndsa-hide {\ndisplay: none !important;\n}\n\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide ndsa-hide has-very-dark-gray-background-color has-background\" style=\"background-color:#222a35;grid-template-columns:46% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img src=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/green-hands-together-shutterstock_600885116-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-104 size-full\"\/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h2 style=\"color:white\">About Us<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"whiteList\"><li><strong><a style=\"color:white\" href=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/who-we-are\/\">Who we are<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a style=\"color:white\" href=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/who-we-are\/\">Our Values<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a style=\"color:white\" href=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/our-mission\/\">Mission<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a style=\"color:white\" href=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/what-is-unique\/\">What is Unique<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a style=\"color:white\" href=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/what-is-the-need\/\">What is the need<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a style=\"color:white\" href=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/faq\/\">FAQ<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About Us Who we are We are an advocacy by neurodivergent people for neurodivergent people. We came together as non profit voluntary group to build a self-advocacy and peer to peer support network dedicated to empowering autistic adults, harnessing our talents. overcoming our barriers and achieving equality in employment, relationship, and wellbeing. We want to &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/about-us\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read more\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Nelly123","author_link":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/author\/nelly123\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":null,"rttpg_excerpt":"About Us Who we are We are an advocacy by neurodivergent people for neurodivergent people. We came together as non profit voluntary group to build a self-advocacy and peer to peer support network dedicated to empowering autistic adults, harnessing our talents. overcoming our barriers and achieving equality in employment, relationship, and wellbeing. We want to&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1113"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1113"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2096,"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1113\/revisions\/2096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}