Membership Survey 2022

The National Autistic Society is taking a fresh look at our membership scheme. We want to further understand what membership means to our members and supporters. And we want to make sure our membership is more engaging for autistic people, their families and carers, and professionals working in the autism field.

We have brought together a range of people to help explore the future direction of the membership. And there have been some conversations and workshops with autistic adults, the parents and carers of autistic children, and professionals.

We want to hear from you and get your thoughts. The questions in this survey are based on what some people have shared during the conversations and workshops. They relate to different ways that the National Autistic Society membership scheme could change for the better. Questions focus on three main areas that have come up in conversations about what could be important for the membership scheme: connection, understanding, and membership for all.

You can write as little or as much as you like for each question. We will be closing the survey at 12noon on Wednesday 17th August.

Please note, the ideas shared in this survey aim to show examples of the kind of activity that could help the membership evolve in different ways.

Many people said that they would like more opportunities to connect personally with others with similar experiences and shared interests.

This could be to give and get support and advice, or just to enjoy being themselves without being judged.

The National Autistic Society membership could focus on offering more chances for members to come together in different ways.

For example, some people suggested:

• offering new members a personal “welcome” phone call from another member when they join the National Autistic Society
• helping members to host more in-person social events
• holding regular online meetups
• creating Discord or Slack channels around shared interests

Many people said that it would be helpful if autistic people and non-autistic people understood each other better. They also believed that society must change so that it works better for autistic people and those who care about them.

The National Autistic Society membership could focus on creating more opportunities for autistic and neurotypical members to learn from each other and get to know each other better. It could also help members to campaign, educate others about autism and promote autism acceptance.

For example, some people suggested:

• helping more members to get involved in promoting autism acceptance in businesses, schools, and other organisations
• offering more chances for parents and carers of autistic children to learn about autism from autistic adults
• offering short online courses about autism for non-autistic people
• creating more spaces for autistic and non-autistic people of all ages to mix around shared interests (that is, not necessarily focusing on autism)

People generally felt that the National Autistic Society membership should include everyone and try to meet a range of needs and wants. Many autistic people also said that the membership should offer more to autistic adults. This means that being a member cannot be “one-size-fits-all”.

For example, some autistic people preferred autistic-only spaces, while others did not.

Some worried about getting too involved with their membership and becoming overwhelmed. Parents and carers of autistic people, meanwhile, said that they can be very busy and don’t always have time to volunteer in traditional ways.

And, in general, some people are happy to interact online and others prefer to meet in-person.

This survey is anonymous, so we won’t know who has completed it. However, we would like to ensure that we have heard the views of people from a range of backgrounds and perspectives. Please answer any of the questions below to tell us a little bit about you.