We spoke to Fern during her final year as an undergraduate Politics student in the UK (not at UCS). We asked her how she feels about disclosing her autism to the university and to fellow students.

Fern, a bookworm and keen drinker of tea, is from the Inner Hebrides in Scotland. She studied Politics with International Relations at the University of York, achieving a First in July 2015, and is currently volunteering at Indigenous Education Foundation of Tanzania. During her degree, Fern studied abroad for a year in Toronto, Canada. She hopes to go on to postgraduate study after her voluntary placement ends.

Autism Alert/Awareness cards are produced by the National Autistic Society and they are available for a small fee. The credit-sized card explains that the cardholder is autistic and how this may affect them, with room for emergency contact details. The text is also available in multiple languages from that link.

Additionally, some regions in the UK have produced their own cards that may have local recognition from police and other emergency services, who should have had training on challenges facing autistic people (and legal rights such as entitlement to an advocate if detained by the police). Some regions require proof of diagnosis and residency in an area before issuing the cards.

SCOTLAND

• Highlands (where Fern comes from!)
• Strathclyde & Central Scotland

NORTHERN IRELAND

• Northern Ireland

ENGLAND

• Anglia
• Cheshire
• Cumbria
• Berkshire
• Hampshire
• Newham, London
• Oxford
• South Yorkshire
• Wessex
• West Midlands
• Wiltshire