“They’ll be fine.” But what if they’re not? Some of the most misunderstood experiences for Autistic people, especially racialised Autistics, are rejection sensitivity, elopement, and suicidality. These are often dismissed or mislabelled as misbehaviour, defiance, or attention-seeking.

As Black and Brown people, we are not afforded the same empathy when we feel overwhelmed - our emotions are seen as dramatisation or aggression. Autistics of all races say when they feel any strong emotion - fear, love, excitement, anxiety, injustice, joy - that they react with tears.

Autistic individuals aged 55 and over, in the UK, are invited to participate in a research project. Help us understand what it’s like to live in a world not designed for older autistic adults. @blackautistics.bsky.social @semascot.bsky.social @autisticsociety.bsky.social #autism #autismresearch

At the weekend, I was speaking to a parent of a young PDA teen who is at wit's end with the struggles they face at home. It didn't help when the primary school didn't pick up the child's needs. It didn't help when others said they are 'weak parents' and give in to the child's demands. 🧵👇

On Monday we had the opportunity, with @auroraconsulting.bsky.social, to deliver training to officers of different rank from the Greater Glasgow Division. We did have folks travelling in from other areas too. Huge thanks to Greater Glasgow Division, for hosting us 🧵👇

The current hostile anti-immigration climate that has affected the UK is really causing alarm for us. Firstly, the beliefs that perpetrate the hate and falsely perceived threat of 'foreigners' and baseless! #hopenothate #notoracism #migration #saltire #welcome #racialisedautistics #safespaces

I had the opportunity to deliver training to the SQA ACE & Disability Network members last week. The topic was accommodating racialised autistics in their full identities, experiences and characteristics which meant understanding intersectional experiences.

📢 Our survey for UK autistic adults will be open until 9am Monday 1st September, so there's still time to take part. ⬇️ Thanks to everyone who has taken part already 🙏

In our recent research on Autistic experiences of assessment in Scotland, with @arghscotland.bsky.social, @semascot.bsky.social and @scottishautism.bsky.social, Edinburgh stood out as having the best experiences, thanks to Number 6. We have just learned that they have lost funding for this service.

The next meeting of the Cross-Party Group on Autism will take place on Monday, 1st September, 12-2 pm, and we are heading up the presentations! This meeting will focus on the experiences of racialised autistic people in Scotland...

🕯️ International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief | 22 August Today we remember those whose lives have been torn apart simply because of how they pray, what they believe, or the traditions they hold dear.

We're launching a series highlighting the positive stories of refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland 📰 You can read our series "Refugees Are Welcome Here" in print and online, Monday to Friday next week

📣 Announcing our new funded work for 2025–2026! Our project was made possible thanks to #NationalLottery players We’re absolutely delighted to share that SEMA has been awarded funding through the Ethnic Minority Development Fund by the #NationalLottery Community Fund, managed by CEMVO

Help sustain the work of SEMA- led by racialised Autistic people, for racialised Autistic people At SEMA, we are building something many of us never had, a space that truly sees and supports racialised Autistic people. #SupportSEMA #RacialisedAutistics #AutisticAndEthnicMinority

Raksha Bandhan A thread A promise A bond It is is a celebration of protection, love, & the relationships that anchor us. While often marked by the bond between siblings, it’s also a reminder that care can come from many places- chosen family, close friends & communities that truly see & support us

🌍 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples This day honours the cultures, histories, and resilience of Indigenous communities across the globe. It reminds us of the deep injustices Indigenous peoples have faced & continue to face due to colonisation, systemic violence, and erasure.

nternational Day of Friendship 🫂 30 July 2025 Friendship isn’t just about who makes you laugh the hardest. It’s about who sees you, even in your quietest moments.

We aim to make understanding autism possible across languages and cultures When autism resources are only in English, too many families are left behind. #LanguageJustice #AutismAccess #RacialisedNeurodivergence #SEMA #SupportGrassroots

Some days, self-care is deep rest. Other days, it’s doing the hard admin you’ve been avoiding for months. It’s boundary-setting. It’s laughter with people who get it. It’s sitting in silence because your brain and body need decompression time.

Racialised Autistic people often face multiple layers of exclusion—but their experiences are rarely centred in training or professional development. At SEMA, we wanted to change that.

This month is about roots. About remembering the people who crossed oceans so we could plant ourselves in new soil and still bloom. About the languages, food, music, and stories that shape who we are, even when the world asks us to explain, shrink, or hide.

Nelson Mandela International Day 18 July 2025 🧠 Which of these quotes is by Nelson Mandela? A) “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

We’re so excited to be part of the NeuroBears Picnic on 25th June, where the brand-new resource Unpacking Understanding will be officially launched! This creative and vital project shares experiences of racialised Autistic people, offering young people a chance to see themselves reflected and heard

World Refugee Day 2025 🕊️ Hope for Refugees, Hope for All. Together, We Welcome Refugees. Support Refugees, Build a Better World. Help Refugees Rebuild Their Lives. Behind every border crossed is a story—of fear, of strength, of survival. #worldrefugeeday

Autistic Pride Day 2025 🌟 We don’t need fixing. We need listening. We need space. We need respect. We need to live as we are. This #AutisticPrideDay, we honour every racialised Autistic person who’s been silenced, underestimated, or pathologised.

Happy Fathers day to all fathers! Today, we hold space—for every kind of father, and for every kind of feeling this day brings. 🧔🏾‍♂️ For the dads who show quiet strength, carrying more than they speak of. 🧕🏽 For the ones still learning how to love more openly than they were ever taught.

@thomascarthur.bsky.social congrats on the new post. We look forward to working with you. #Equalities

Eid ul-Adha Mubarak from all of us at SEMA! Eid ul-Adha is a time of sacrifice, compassion, and collective responsibility—a reminder to centre justice, care, and humanity in all that we do.

Resharing my starter pack of neuro-affirming Autistic advocates, orgs and charities if you are looking for a good list of people to follow go.bsky.app/9N5UEUC

"I never considered it from that point of view" 🥲 -feedback as I jumped on the train home from the Neurodiversity in the Workplace professional learning event on 19th, where I talked the early processes of recruitment from a racialised Autistic perspective. #NeurodiversityInTheWorkplace

Culture is more than food, festivals, or flags—it’s language, identity, struggle, memory, and belonging. 🎭🧕🏽📚🎶 On this day, we celebrate cultural diversity, but at SEMA, we also push for honest dialogue because true diversity doesn’t mean much without equity, accountability, and access.

Next week I have the opportunity to speak about the experiences of Racial Autistics seeking meaningful employment and what employers can do to improve their workforce...because hiring a diverse pool of talent and perspectives can only be a good thing for any organisation! #Neurodiversity #Workplace

Today isn't easy for everyone. While some celebrate loving, supportive families, many of us carry stories of broken trust, exclusion, or having to raise ourselves. We know that the idea of “family” looks very different for Autistic people, racialised people, and those at the intersections of both.

Last call! We’re so grateful to be nominated for the Community Organisation Award for Race, Religion & Faith at the National Diversity Awards 2025. This nomination isn’t just for us—it’s for every racialised Autistic person who’s been overlooked, excluded, or unheard.

🪷 Happy Vesak Day to All Who Observe from Team SEMA🌕🕯️ Today marks Vesak, the sacred day commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha. It is a time for peace, reflection, and compassion, observed by Buddhist communities across the world.

🎉 We’ve been nominated! We’re honoured to share that we have been nominated for the Community Organisation Award for Race, Religion & Faith at the National Diversity Awards 2025, sponsored by OVO and in association with HSBC UK. #NationalDiversityAwards #SEMA #RacialisedAutistics #NDA25

#WorldPressFreedomDay 🌍🗞️ This year’s theme, “A Press for the Planet,” highlights the crucial role of journalism in tackling global environmental crises—from climate change to biodiversity loss and pollution.

🧑‍🏭 World Day for Safety and Health at Work 🛠️ This year, we reflect on what safe and healthy workplaces really mean—and who is often left out of that conversation. For Autistic people and racialised workers, “safety” isn’t just about physical conditions.

🖤 Stephen Lawrence Day | April 22, 2025 The theme is The Power of Learning - Knowledge Changes Everything A legacy of hope, a fight for justice... Today we honour the life of Stephen Lawrence, a Black teenager whose murder—and the institutional failures that followed—shook the UK to its core.

We’re incredibly thankful to have been nominated for the Community Organisation Award for Race, Religion & Faith. Thank you all for your continued support. ❤️ If you value our work, please consider voting for us here: www.nationaldiversityawards.co.uk/awards-2025/... #NDA25

Our condolences to Autistic Christians, their families and community. 🕊️ Pope Francis was the 1st pope from the Global South since 7th century and first Latin American one. His final message to the world was a call for a ceasefire and an end to the brutality against Palestinians.

CN: suicide. "The new cuts and push for disabled people to work terrifies me. Will we see an increase in suicide in the autistic community? Will autistic people be forced to mask and hide their disability so they can keep their job?" Luce Greenwood, at TPGA. thinkingautismguide.com/2025/04/auti...

✝️ Wishing a Blessed Easter (Pascha) to All Who Celebrate 🌿✨ To everyone observing Easter, we send you warmth, reflection, and joy as you honour this sacred time of resurrection, renewal, and light after darkness. #HappyPascha #Easter #EasterSunday #OrthodoxEaster #AutisticFaith #SEMA ✝️💜🕊️

Wishing a Joyous Passover to All Who Celebrate 🌿🍷 To everyone observing, Chag Pesach Sameach from all of us at SEMA. Passover is a time of reflection, freedom, and tradition—a moment to honour stories of resilience and liberation.

Today we celebrate Bhaisakhi—a vibrant festival marking the harvest season and the birth of the Khalsa in Sikh tradition. It’s a time of joy, reflection, and community. #AutismAcceptanceMonth

🎉 We’ve been nominated! We’re honoured to share that we have been nominated for the Community Organisation Award for Race, Religion & Faith at the National Diversity Awards 2025, sponsored by OVO and in association with HSBC UK. @thendeducator.bsky.social

Health isn’t just about hospitals and medicine—it’s about how we begin and how we are treated throughout life. This year’s theme, “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,” speaks to the need for care, dignity, and equity from the very start. #worldhealthday

This morning I had a meeting with a south Asian community organisation regarding understanding our cultural aspects of being Autistic. We noted that the disability rights movement is set back for our Brown communities due to systemic racism and discrimination,

International Transgender Day of Visibility | March 31, 2025 🏳️‍⚧️💜 Celebrating Transgender Lives & Recognising Neurodiversity Today, we celebrate transgender and gender-diverse individuals—their strength, their achievements, and their right to be seen, heard, and respected.

Today is #WorldBipolarDay 🎭 — held every year on March 30 to raise awareness of bipolar disorder and reduce stigma. The date marks Vincent van Gogh’s birthday, the artist believed to have had bipolar disorder. Read more here: www.instagram.com/p/DH0VLjPo8U6/ #WorldBipolarDay