Ms Blessing Dada:

In terms of support, if I did not have the likes of the Autistic Art Club or Neuro Pride Ireland, I would be very lost, to be honest. Before I knew of the two groups in Ireland, I connected more with accessing resources on UK or US websites because the diversity of black Irish people is very new in Ireland. When I was new to my diagnosis, that was when I was reaching for supports in that area.

The important thing when we talk about anti-racism and allyship is, as I highlighted before, intersectionality. Allyship and anti-racism are not on their own, but go hand in hand with the LGBT and trans communities and people with mental illnesses. Support for autism on its own is hard but when you add in the intersectional perspective, it is easier to manage with the support because you are around like-minded people striving for the same goal of making sure people are included in conversations like this and are heard.