Press Release
Building bridges conference
10 October 2005
The National Autistic Society (NAS), the UK's leading charity for people with autism, their families and carers, will hold the Building Bridges conference with The Afiya Trust on 17 October 2005 at Monton House Hotel, 116-118 Monton Road, Eccles, Manchester.
It is the second of five conferences planned for 2005 to specifically raise awareness of and promote support for families affected by autism from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities in the UK. Speakers include: Robina Ahmed, parent of a child with autism; Dr Latha Hackett, Consultant in psychiatry; Mari Saeki, Family Services Development project and Prithvi Perepa, BME Development officer.
About 19% of Manchester's population belongs to black and minority ethnic communities. However, the NAS has found that the uptake of its advice and support services does not reflect the ethnic mix of the population. The BME Project along with the introduction of Language Line, a three-way phone conference service which allows non-English speaking callers to access the Autism Helpline through interpreters in over 120 languages, were launched last year to address this deficit.
Prithvi Perepa, the NAS Development Officer for the BME Project, said:
"Since the launch of the project last year we have gathered knowledge about the experiences of families coming from these communities, and built relationships with the community organisations. We are now ready to take our work a step further and offer specialist advice for families and communities affected by autism who have been reluctant to address the problem due to lack of understanding and support."
Through the conference the NAS will bring together individuals with autism, their families and carers, and professionals working in the field to understand each others perspective, to share good practice and to plan the way forward. If you would like more information about the conference or would like to attend, please contact the NAS Conference team on 0115 911 3360 or email conference@nas.org.uk
To find out more about the conference and the NAS BME Project, call Kate Blagojevic in the NAS Press Office on 020 7903 3546 or email: kate.blagojevic@nas.org.uk
Spread your message to an audience that counts, with options available for our website, email bulletins and publications including The House Magazine.
