AUTICORPOS is a project by APVA, co-financed by INR, I.P., and aimed, over the course of six months, to create an eBook on the barriers that hinder the provision of and access to mental health services for adult autistic people in Portugal. The aim is not only to identify the barriers, but also to propose alternatives for overcoming them.
Autistic Uni is a project by APVA, co-funded by INR, I.P., on the inclusion of autistic people in Higher Education, in partnership with the University of Porto. AutisticUni aimed to understand the needs, barriers and priorities of neurodivergent students in higher education and how to effectively help.
For autistic people, sex education needs to be about more than the mechanics of sex. It should be about how to flirt, developing healthy relationships, safe sex, hypersensitivities during sex, consent and bodily autonomy. Adults with autism or intellectual disabilities need safe places to ask honest questions without shame.
A project developed by the European Council of Autistic People, in which we participated, funded by the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), on experiences of violence against autistic people.
APVA partnered with the National Autistic Taskforce (NAT) in the UK to translate to Portuguese the ‘Independent Guide to Quality Care for Autistic People’, developed in 2019, the first independent guide authored by autistic people on what good quality care and support looks like for autistic people of all ages and across the spectrum. A guide to understanding how to provide better services and support for autistic people.
Associação Portuguesa Voz do Autista partnered with ARFID Awareness UK to develop information on Restrictive and Avoidant Eating Disorder (TARE) in Portuguese.
Around 90% of autistic people have difficulties with sensory sensitivities and around 83 per cent have motor difficulties. Sensory sensitivity to everyday stimuli has a psychological, physical and social impact. Dear Ocean decided to take up our challenge and developed clothing based on questionnaires we carried out with autistic people and their families about their difficulties with clothing. The Infinity collection includes sensory clothing that is easy to fasten and put on.
In the context of the need to include and guarantee support for autistic refugees and their families coming from Ukraine, a file has been developed for those working in community and humanitarian service who can help. In this file we provide some information on what autism is, how to recognise it, how to help and where you can find more information. To access the guide ‘Supporting autistic people in crisis situations’, in Portuguese, developed by EUCAP, of which we are an affiliate, and Autisme Europe, you can click on the link opposite.
APVA, together with the Department of Emergency Medical Training (INEM) and the Centre for Psychological Support and Crisis Intervention (CAPIC), created a training course entitled ‘Approach to the Autistic Person’, which is available on INEM’s e-learning platform, ‘Aprender INEM’. In addition to the training for the platform, we held an open session where we talked about the adapted technique and some of the points we believe are essential in an emergency situation, which you can see here.
If you are interested in this training, please contact projetos@vozdoautista.pt.
