Dear AMASE members,
Welcome to the AMASE September 2026 newsletter.
Last month we had some great events, including our Book Club and annual Autistic Pride Picnic.
At the same time however, there has also been some deeply upsetting news. Many of us have been affected by the death of Professor Jason Arday, alongside ongoing concerns about the media coverage and wider treatment of minority communities, including Black and autistic people. On the 22nd of August, representatives from AMASE attended a vigil for Professor Arday in Edinburgh, organised in part by our friends at Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics (SEMA). SEMA have also shared several insightful posts related to Professor Arday’s death. AMASE attended a Clarion Call event in solidarity. The Clarion Call page includes information about the event, concrete actions you can take, and links to mental health support, including the Stimpunks Field Guide: Regulation and Coping.
Until the end of the last parliamentary session, AMASE was part of the Scottish Government’s Stakeholder Panel consulting on the development of the LDAN Bill. On 1st of September the Scottish Government announced that the LDAN Bill had been halted. Over five years, members in the community had contributed their time, expertise and experience, often involving sharing deeply personal experiences. A number of Scottish Autistic People’s Organisations have written to the Cabinet Secretary seeking a meeting. If you would like to support the campaign to save the LDAN Bill as a way to achieve meaningful change for autistic people, you can read and sign this open letter to the First Minister.
In this month’s newsletter you’ll find details of our AGM on Saturday 26th of September at 3pm - we hope to see you there! We have also included details of upcoming activities and other items we think may be of interest, such as our third AMASE Book Club session next month.
With best wishes
Fiona, Leo, Fergus, Olly, Pete, Luis and Jemaine
(You can read about some of the Committee members on the AMASE website -Who We Are.)
AMASE Bouldering Trip - Alien Bloc, Saturday 19th of September, 11:30am-2pm
AMASE body-doubling session, Wednesday 23rd of September, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
AMASE Annual General Meeting (AGM), Saturday 26th of September, 3-4:30pm
AMASE Needle Felting Craft-Along, Thursday 1st October, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
AMASE Book Club #3: NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity, Friday 30th of October, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
First Black Autism Acceptance Day, Saturday 19th of September
Number 6 Autism One Stop Shop September calendar
Autscot 2027 - call for proposals, and planning survey
Thriving Autistic’s Discovery Programme resources
Government consultations: Fireworks, Legal Aid reform, and mobile phones in schools
AMASE events:
AMASE Bouldering Trip - Alien Bloc, Saturday 19th of September 2026, 11:30am-2pm
This month we will be meeting at Alien Bloc, in Canonmills on Saturday 19th of September from 11:30-2pm. No experience required. Entry is £13.50 (£11.80 concession) plus £3.50 shoe hire if needed.
If you're thinking of coming, do let us know by signing up on Luma.
Usually at least 3 climbers from AMASE go along and we are also sometimes joined by Kifl, a small, friendly dog belonging to two of our members. You can also come along as a spectator for free to check it out and we have a #climbing channel on Discord if you have any questions!
Next AMASE body-doubling session, Wednesday 23rd of September, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
Our next body-doubling session is on Wednesday 23rd of September at 7-8:30pm on Zoom. For those who aren't familiar, the idea is that many people (perhaps especially neurodivergent people) find it easier to get down to tasks they struggle to start, or are not looking forward to, in the presence of other people who are also getting on with things. If that sounds like it might be helpful to you too, why not come along?
Our body-doubling sessions are typically small, with different members attending each month. Those that have attended have found them to be useful for completing tasks such as household chores, responding to emails or making a meal. You can see information on how the session will run, and sign up on luma if you would like to attend.
AMASE Annual General Meeting (AGM), Saturday 26th of September 2026, 3-4:30pm
This year’s AGM is taking place online on Saturday 26th of September from 3-4:30pm. We sent an email to members on 11th of September giving formal notice of the meeting with links to the AGM papers. All members are invited, although only full members will be allowed to vote.
The Chair will report on the activities for the year to 31st of March, and the Treasurer will present the annual accounts for consideration. Members have previously approved AMASE incorporating into a Community Interest Company (CIC) and we will provide an update on progress made. There will then be an election/re-election of the AMASE Committee and its Officers (Chair, Secretary and Treasurer).
If you may be interested in an Officer role, or in joining the Committee, please contact [email protected] or get in touch on Discord. The formalities of the AGM will be followed by a general discussion about developments and future direction.
Please register on Luma to attend.
AMASE Needle Felting Craft-Along, Thursday 1st of October 2026, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
On Thursday 1st of October, we are running a felting Craft-Along session from 7-8:30pm over Zoom for AMASE members. (If you have already signed up, please note that we have moved the date due to a scheduling conflict.) At the event, AMASE member Ileana will use a beginner-friendly craft kit to demonstrate how to needle felt a baby sea turtle.
Please note that if you don’t have your own felting needles and felt you will need to buy your own kit. We will however be able to subsidise this cost if price is a barrier to participating. For more information, including how the session will be run see here: https://luma.com/1mfuh6td.
AMASE Book Club #3: NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity (Part 1), Friday 30th of October, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
We are delighted to announce our third AMASE Book Club event. This will take place on Friday 30th of October at 7-8:30pm, and we will be discussing Steve Silberman's NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity. Due to the length of the book and the detailed subject matter, we will split this over two events: this one, in October, and a second one in November.
If you would like to attend the Book Club, please register on Luma.
If you are interested in attending any future Book Club events, you can vote for or suggest future reading materials via this poll: https://forms.gle/Kx17fMWN6DXUqyA69
If anyone is interested in co-hosting the book club (with our help) please get in touch by email at [email protected] or by responding to this form: https://forms.gle/N8vxbERkZEM3UCea7.
Other events:
First Black Autism Acceptance Day, Saturday 19th of September
Saturday 19th of September will be the first Black Autism Acceptance Day, founded by Ayanna Sanaa Davis, aka Phenomenally Autistic. There will be two days of online speakers and panels from 5 to 9pm UK time. Attendance is free and open to all. Information can be found on Phenomenally Autistic's facebook post.
Number 6 Autism One Stop Shop September calendar
The Number 6 One Stop Shop calendar, listing groups and activities they will be running in September can be seen here: Number 6 September 2026 Calendar. (These services are open to those who have a formal diagnosis.)
Autscot 2027 - call for proposals, and planning survey
ARGH Scotland will be holding Autscot 2027, a new, small residential, retreat-style conference run by and for autistic people, in Larbert, Stirlingshire from Tuesday 6th - Friday 9th of April 2027. The theme will be Community, and ARGH are now inviting proposals for presentations. The submission deadline is 28th of September 2026. You can find more information, including guidelines and a link to the proposal form here: Autscot 2027 call for proposals. Please note: Autscot is an in-person event. Presenters must be able to attend in person.
There is also a survey to assist ARGH Scotland with planning Autscot 2027. They would like to hear from people who may be interested in attending to help them make informed decisions about the event: Autscot 2027 survey.
Other:
Thriving Autistic Discovery Programme resources
Online resources from Thriving Autistic’s Discovery programme for recently identified autistic adults are now open access and free. These are a collection of self-paced videos, guides and tools to explore what being autistic means to you, on your own terms and in your own time.
Topics cover masking and burnout, impostor phenomenon and intersectionality, sensory systems, communication and relationships, monotropism and autistic attention, internalised ableism and self-advocacy. The resources can be viewed here: https://discover.thrivingautistic.org/.
Government consultations: Fireworks, Legal Aid reform, and mobile phones in schools
The UK government is proposing reforms to fireworks legislation focused on minimising the impact of noise and their contribution to antisocial behaviour whilst still allowing individuals to enjoy fireworks safely and responsibly. A UK-wide consultation is open until Wednesday 7 of October 2026; find out more and complete the survey here: Consultation - Fireworks and pyrotechnics in the UK.
The Scottish Government is running a consultation process regarding the need to reform the legal aid system until 23:59 on Tuesday of 13th October. The survey can be accessed here: Legal aid reform - Scottish Government consultations
Another Scottish Government consultation on development of legislation to restrict personal use of mobile phones in all of Scotland’s schools. It will be open until Tuesday 17th of November 2026. Find out more and complete the survey here:
Restricting mobile phones in Scotland's schools - Scottish Government consultations
Even if you don’t feel that you know much about these issues, consultations are an opportunity to inform the government regarding the priorities of autistic people, such as accessibility, accountability, transparency and more. Even if you just have one idea you’d like to express or one question in a government survey that you want to answer, your voice matters. Typically there are many questions, but you can just ignore the ones you don't want to answer.
Previous AMASE newsletters can be viewed here: https://sendfox.com/amase/feed
To automatically receive updates about AMASE Events published on Luma follow this link: https://luma.com/amase
AMASE is a volunteer run organisation and currently receives no funding. If you feel financially able to do so, please consider making a small donation to AMASE via PayPal Donate. Thank you to the supporter who is raising funds for AMASE with Kiltwalk and for the donations we have received to date.
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