Autism Cymru was Wales' national charity for autism with offices in Cardiff, Wrexham, and Aberystwyth.Autism Cymru. Politics.co.uk Retrieved 7 September 2012. The charity was established in May 2001 through an initial 3-year grant provided by The Shirley Foundation. The founder chair of the Trustees was Dame Stephanie Shirley of the Shirley Foundation.
Autism Cymru was a unique strategic level autism charity in that its strategic objectives were to influence government policy for autism in Wales, to bring about coherence to research in autism in Wales, to create far wider and knowledge of autism through creating training and related awareness raising initiatives. Having achieved all its strategic objectives the charity formally ceased operation in 2013/14.
In 2002/3 Autism Cymru made out the case to the Welsh Assembly Government that they should establish a world first national strategy for autism. The charity's CEO, Hugh Morgan, was appointed to chair the development of the Welsh Assembly Government's ASD Strategic Action Plan for Wales between 2003 and 2008. From 2008 to 2011 Autism Cymru agreed to second their CEO to the Welsh Assembly Government to head up in the foundation phase of the ASD Strategic Action Plan for Wales and from 2011 to 2012 Hugh Morgan OBE was seconded to be the Expert advisor for Autism to the Welsh Assembly Government.
Autism Cymru organised and delivered the first of four bi-annual international autism conferences in 2006 in Cardiff City Hall attracting 800 delegates over 2.5days. Speakers coming to Cardiff included Temple Grandin, Gary Mesibov, Tony Atwood, Ros Blackburn, Chris Gilberg.
In the summer of 2006 Autism Cymru was made Channel S4C's 'charity of the year' featuring several televised programmes on autism and events including a sponsored walk for autism from Abertawe to Aberystwyth.
After holding 3 research workshops involving autism researchers from throughout Wales in 2006/7 Autism Cymru initiated a fundraising partnership with Autistica to generate sufficient funds to establish a Wales Autism Research Centre and the UK's first professorial chair in autism. In 2010 the Wales Autism Research Centre was launched in the School of Psychology, Cardiff University with the appointment as Director of Professor Sue Leekam, who became the first professorial chair in autism in the U.K.
At the personal invitation of the European Commission's Health and Consumer Affairs Commissioner, Autism Cymru organised an inaugural awareness raising day on autism within the European Parliament, Brussels, in 2011, involving NGO's with an interest in autism from throughout the European Union.WARC Psych.cf.ac.uk Retrieved 7 September 2012.Autism Initiatives Wales Autism Initiatives Wales Retrieved 7 September 2012.
History The charity was founded in 2001 "to improve the lives of people in Wales with an autistic spectrum disorder and their families" by influencing major policy change, research and practice through education and training, research, awareness raising and collaborative efforts with other organizations. Start-up funding for the organization was provided by Dame Steve Shirley's The Shirley Foundation.
It was this charity which first created the concept of a government led national autism strategy, presenting the concept to Ministers in the Welsh Government in 2001. The Minister for Health and Social Services in Wales then announced on 4 December 2002 that the Welsh Government would develop the world's first national autism strategy in partnership with Autism Cymru. The CEO of Autism Cymru, Hugh Morgan OBE, chaired the development of the national autism strategy in Wales between 2003 and 2007. They then partnered with the Welsh Assembly Government to have it implemented, with Hugh Morgan seconded from the Charity to 'drive forward the implementation' from 2008 to 2011.Europe can learn from Wales in dealing with autism. The Greens | European Free Alliance. Retrieved 17 September 2012. Leading Wales Award Retrieved 17 September 2012 It also initiated and brought together the partnership including Autistica, the Welsh Government and Autism Initiatives to about the Cardiff University department of psychology's Wales Autism Research Centre (WARC) with the first named professorial chair in autism in Britain and the development of the Wales Autism Research Centre. Another first, Autism Cymru created the world's first national web-based information serviceWales spearheads autism research WalesOnline.co.uk Retrieved 15 September 2012.New autism study centre for Wales WalesOnline.co.uk Retrieved 15 September 2012. of AWARES.org for autistic people and their families. Since then, Autism Cymru's innovative approach to strategically influencing government been a model for charities in other countries, especially in Northern Ireland and Scotland where national autism strategies have also been developed recently.
As a founder member of the Celtic Nations Autism Partnership, it worked closely with its partner organizations, including Scottish Autism, Autism Northern Ireland, and the Irish Society for Autism.Autism charity proving a big success WalesOnline.co.uk Retrieved 15 September 2012. On a larger scale, Autism Cymru worked with organizations outside of the UK such as Autisme-EuropePlaid MEP gives Autism Cymru a European platform Jill Evans MEP Plaid Cymru Retrieved 15 September 2012. and ICare4Autism in the USA. On 6 November 2012, Autism Cymru spearheaded a major event and call in the European Parliament for the development of a European Strategy for Autism, alongside members of the Celtic Nations Autism Partnership and Autisme-Europe hosted by Welsh MEP, Dr Kay Swinburne.
Most of the £9 million in additional Welsh Government funding since 2008-9 gained for autism through the Welsh autism strategy (derived from the original concept by Autism Cymru) has gone to fund local infrastructure for service delivery and research programmes largely in the public sector.
Autism Cymru had held the Wales Autism International Conference in Cardiff 2004;"Autism is 'positive' for Welsh painter" WalesOnline.co.uk Retrieved 15 September 2012. speakers have included Dr Tony Attwood, Professor Christopher Gillberg, Professor Rita Jordan, Dr Temple Grandin, Dr Lorna Wing and Professor Digby Tantam.Autism Cymru ASDinfoWales.co.uk Retrieved 15 September 2012. Past speakers also include Elizabeth Attfield, Mark Barrett, Danny Beath, Autism Cymru's Deputy Chief Executive Maggie Bowen, Colette Drift, Lynn Plimley, Hilary Kanaris, and Ros Blackburn.Autism Cymru education conference in Wrexham Politics.co.uk Retrieved on 15 September 2012 The charity had sponsored the annual AWARES on-line conference for autism since 2006. The Attention Card programme was developed with Welsh emergency services and is being used by the police forces in Wales and during 2012 has been extended to other emergency services including a national approach to the Welsh Ambulance Services Trust.
Autism Cymru was made Channel S4C's "Charity of the Year"; in 2003 was runner up in the UK Charity Awards for Children and Young People and in 2004 was Highly Commended in the Charity Awards.
Vision Autism Cymru's vision statement was:
People Patrons and chair The original funding for Autism Cymru was provided in 2001 by president Dame Stephanie Shirley's Shirley Foundation, which was one of the top 50 grant-giving foundations in the United Kingdom.Autism Cymru: Dame Steve Shirley to address Institute of Directors Politics.co.uk Retrieved on 15 September 2012.Giving it large Guardian.co.uk Retrieved 15 September 2012. The charity's president was Dame Stephanie Shirley and patron was Lord Dafydd Wigley. The last chairperson of the Charity was Professor Bill Fraser CBE.
Staff Hugh Morgan OBE, FRSA, was formerly the first CEO of Autism West Midlands, working with them from 1988 to 2001, before becoming the founder CEO of Autism Cymru in 2001. He was the author of several books on autism including Adults with Autism: A Guide to Theory and Practice, Cambridge University Press 1996, .Adam Feinstein, A History of Autism: Conversations with the Pioneers, John Wiley & Sons, 2011. p. 89, 163. Note: Foreword by Dame Stephanie Shirley. Maggie Bowen was the Deputy CEO.Lynn Plimley, Maggie Bowen, The Autism Inclusion Toolkit: Training Materials and Facilitator Notes, SAGE Publications Ltd, 2008. Page ix The charity had no administrative staff; its trustees and staff had considerable first hand experience of supporting people on the autism spectrum and their families.AWARES AWARES Retrieved 7 September 2012.
Collaborators Autism Cymru took a person-centered approach in all its work. It establish very effective collaborations bring about major change, with policy-leaders in Wales and internationally, with research institutions, with other charities and with funders.
Membership Membership for individuals was free and could be obtained by applying online through the official website.
Autism Cymru activities Autism Cymru's activities included awareness development, collaboration with other organizations to realize their vision, participation in research and enhancement of educational opportunities. It worked with partners, such as Autism Initiatives and Wales Autism Research Centre (WARC), who had congruent objectives regarding training, awareness building, service and research.
Awareness It sponsored Holly's Ball and Emily's Ball, events set up by the Holly and Emily's mothers to raise awareness about autism. It also sought to raise funds for the National Autistic Society and Autism Cymru, while celebrating World Autism Awareness Day.Holly's Ball Retrieved 7 September 2012.Emily's Ball Retrieved 7 September 2012.
Other organizations Autism Cymru was a founder member of the Celtic Nations Autism Partnership, which was launched in collaboration with Autism Northern Ireland, Irish Society for Autism and the Scottish Autism in 2006/7; was a member of Autisme-Europe and had collaborations with others including Autism Initiatives and with Mudiad Ysgolian Meithrin.Autism Cymru's Activities . Autism Cymru. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
Governmental and justice organizations Governmental and justice organizations that Autism Cymru collaborated with included: local health boards and authorities, all four Welsh Police Forces, and the Wales Ambulance Service Trust on the Emergency Services ASD Attention Card Scheme and training, and most powerfully, work with the Welsh Assembly Government. Their national AWARES website, when launched in 2002 was believed to have been "the first national resource website of its kind in the world".Autism website 'first of its kind'. BBC. 4 December 2002. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
Research Research activities included founding the partnership with Cardiff University and Autistica to create the Wales Autism Research Centre; and collaborations with Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust, S4C and other benefactors and Welsh universities. In 2004, Autism Cymru commenced conducting on-line international conferences on autism featuring many of the leading world figures on autism.
Education Autistic Cymru set up the website for AWARES - the All Wales Autism Resource, which provides information for Welsh and English speaking autistic people in Wales and also ran annual world on-line conference.AWARES - the All Wales Autism Resource. Website managed by Autism Cymru. Retrieved 14 September 2012. Hugh Morgan was quoted in 2002 by the BBC as having said: "AWARES is the start of a journey to create the largest online autism community in the country." The inclusive schools and autism training and research programme received also endorsement from education minister Jane Davidson of the Welsh Assembly Government in 2006; over 500 schools across Wales participated in the programme since 2006. Autism Cymru also ran national schools forums in Wales since 2004.
Training and employment