Autistic adults in Cumbria can access free online support from a new community interest company.
Aupeer CIC is an autistic-led not-for-profit organisation, based in Carlisle and founded by Charlotte Fox.
The organisation provides free to access online peer support groups and one-to-one peer support sessions for autistic adults on the journey from self-identification through the assessment period and beyond.
These sessions are facilitated by autistic people, providing a positive, safe and friendly online place for autistic adults to discuss challenges, share knowledge and meet other individuals with similar identities.
Charlotte said: “I set up Aupeer in response to a gap in support I experienced following my own late diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome in 2018.
“Astonishingly after such a massive life changing event I really had to figure it what being autistic meant for me by myself, while reconciling what I thought I knew of my past with this new knowledge.
“I found the best way to do this was to find other autistic people and speak with them about their own experiences, peer support essentially.
“What I discovered was that I wasn’t alone in receiving little to no help or guidance, especially if labelled with the misnomer ‘high functioning’ autism and that many autistic people hadn’t even knowingly met anyone else with the same identity.
“Can you imagine how isolating and damaging that could potentially be? Sadly many autistic people I met were also struggling with the effects of trying to fit into a society which isn’t set up to meet our way of being.
I had felt different all my life, made to feel wrong and weird though I knew I wasn’t.
“Finding my community flipped that narrative on its head and I wanted to give other autistic adults the opportunity to access the same experience and to provide the kind of support I had really needed myself. So I retrained in peer support facilitation and set up Aupeer.
“Being autistic-led, we understand autistic environmental, social and personal needs without judgement, providing a unique space which is tailored to our needs which is really important.
“For example, our peer support group agreement includes statements such as understanding lack of eye contact and allowing for processing time – something that from my own personal experience I have never encountered in any other space.
“I’d say to other autistic adults you aren’t alone and Aupeer is for you, for a little while each week come be in an informal online space where there is no need to hide or mask your wonderful autistic self, it really has such a positive impact, we see it each week.”
Aupeer currently runs a peer support group on a Thursdays from 10.30am to 11.30am via Zoom and offers one-to-one peer support sessions throughout the week.
A formal diagnosis or a referral is not needed to access the current group.
Visit www.aupeer.org.uk/service for more information or to register or email [email protected] to find out more
