onlincourse

Autistic People's Rights and the Law

Learn about legislation affecting the rights of autistic people, and explore advocacy efforts in relation to a range of legal issues, with the University of Kent.

Duration

4 weeks

Weekly study

3 hours

100% online

How it works

Included in an ExpertTrack

Course 2 of 4

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Understand the rights of autistic people

This four-week course will provide an overview of legislation affecting various aspects of autistic people’s lives. The course aims to amplify and uplift autistic voices, exploring the power dynamics at play in advocating for the rights of autistic people.

Using examples from UK and worldwide legislation, you’ll examine the impact of policy on autistic rights, in the contexts of social care, social inclusion, and employment.

With the knowledge you gain, you’ll be able to implement good practice and contribute to improving the lives of autistic people in these key areas.

Focussing on issues surrounding social care and social inclusion, you’ll consider the quality of care received by autistic people.

You’ll begin to reflect on best practices and ways of improving social care.

Explore the experience of autistic people in the criminal justice system

In the final phase of the course, you’ll investigate the experiences of autistic people who come into contact with the criminal justice system, whether as offenders or as victims of crime.

You’ll explore how autistic differences can influence the treatment people receive, and consider best practices for supporting autistic people within justice systems.

Over the four weeks of the course, your learning will be guided by autistic and non-autistic academics at the University of Kent, who’ll share their expertise on legal issues impacting the lives of autistic people.

Week 1
Advocacy
- The Autistic Voice
  In this activity we consider the importance of the autistic voice and invite you to share your own experiences. Image by Garry Knight, https://www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/, CC BY 2.0
- Autistic perspectives
  We’ve considered how important it is to include autistic perspectives - but how do we actually do this in practice? In this activity we explore some ways to include autistic perspectives in different forms of practice.
- Stakeholders
  Here we look at the various stakeholders and consider the dynamics between them. Image by Nick Youngson, http://www.nyphotographic.com/, from Alpha Stock Images http://alphastockimages.com/, CC BY-SA 3.0
Week 2
Legislation, social inclusion, and employment
- Social care legislation
  In this section we will be looking at social care legislation. Image by Nick Youngson, http://www.nyphotographic.com, from Alpha Stock Images http://alphastockimages.com/, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Employment and social inclusion
  In this section we learn more about autistic people's rights in relation to employment and social inclusion. Image: Innov8social, https://www.flickr.com/photos/44313045@N08/, CC BY 2.0
- Case study
  To complete Week 2 we present a case study. Image: 'At the movies' by B. de los Arcos, https://flickr.com/photos/welikesharing/, CC BY 2.0
Week 3
Autistic offenders
- Autistic people and crime
  Is ther any link between being autistic and the likelihood of offending? We discuss neurodiversity and moral responsibility and learn more about autistic offenders. Image: Klaus with K, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- The Criminal Justice System
  UK policy relating to autistic people in the Criminal Justice System & different perspectives of how it is applied in practice. Image: “Law scales on table” by Jernej Furman, https://www.flickr.com/photos/91261194@N06/, CC BY 2.0
- Improving the system
  In this section we learn about how the Criminal Justice System could be improved for autistic offenders and reflect on what we have learned this week.
Week 4
Autistic victims of crime
- Issues affecting autistic victims of crime
  We discuss hate crime, whether autistic people should be seen as vulnerable, and what happens when autistic people witness crime. Image by Rebecca Barray, https://www.flickr.com/photos/rebeccabarray/, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
- Lived experiences
  What is it like when things go wrong in the Criminal Justice System? In this activity, we examine three case studies. Please note that this content describes experiences of injustice that people may find distressing.
- Looking forward
  How might things be iproved for autistic people coming into contact with the justice system?