News

At Autism Anglia, we believe autistic people should have a meaningful voice in shaping the services, support and opportunities designed for the communities we serve.

That’s why we’re launching our new Adult Lived Experience Advisory Panel, bringing together autistic adults to share their experiences, perspectives and ideas with us.

We’re looking for around eight autistic adults aged 18+ who would like to help us understand what’s working, where things could be better and what autistic people need from organisations like ours in the future.

You don’t need professional expertise, you don’t need experience of sitting on a panel or committee, and you won’t be expected to speak on behalf of every autistic person.

The experience we’re interested in is your own.

Why are we creating a Lived Experience Advisory Panel?

Autistic people are the experts in their own experiences.

As we continues developing its services and support across the region, we want lived experience to play a meaningful part in helping us understand the needs and priorities of the communities we’re here to support.

The Adult Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) will provide a dedicated space where autistic adults can share honest feedback, ideas and perspectives.

This isn’t about asking people for their views once and moving on. We want to build an ongoing conversation that helps us listen, learn and improve.

What could panel members help shape?

The panel will have the opportunity to provide feedback across different areas of Autism Anglia’s work.

That could include:

💬 Services and support
Sharing perspectives on existing services and ideas for the future.

🔍 Barriers and opportunities
Helping us understand where autistic people may experience barriers and highlighting opportunities for improvement.

📣 Communications and campaigns
Giving feedback on the way we communicate about autism and the information we share publicly.

💡 Future plans
Sharing ideas and perspectives that can help inform our organisational thinking and priorities.

🩷 Representation
Helping us ensure autistic people’s experiences are considered throughout our work.

The panel will be advisory rather than decision-making, but the feedback shared will help inform conversations across Autism Anglia.

Who are we looking for?

We’re initially looking for around eight autistic adults aged 18 and over and we’d like the panel to reflect the diversity of the communities Autism Anglia serves, including different ages, backgrounds, identities and locations.

You don’t need to have previous experience of participating in similar groups, you simply need to be willing to share your experiences and perspectives in a constructive way.

How will the panel work?

We expect the Adult Lived Experience Advisory Panel to meet at least four times each year, primarily through face-to-face meetings and members will normally join the panel for an initial one-year term.

Because this is a new initiative, we’ll also listen to members about how the panel itself works and consider improvements as it develops.

That means the first members won’t simply be joining a finished process. They’ll also have an opportunity to help us understand how we can make participation work well for autistic adults.

Making participation accessible

We understand that everyone has different communication preferences and support requirements.

So we’ll invite successful applicants to talk to us about any reasonable adjustments that could help them participate comfortably.

We want panel members to feel able to contribute in a way that works for them.

Recognising your time and contribution

Lived experience has such a value, and we want to recognise the time and contribution panel members give us.

Members will receive:

🎁 A £25 Amazon voucher for every meeting attended

🚗 Reimbursement of reasonable travel expenses

☕ Refreshments during face-to-face meetings

After each meeting, key themes, recommendations and actions will also be summarised and shared with relevant teams and Autism Anglia’s Senior Executive Team.

Why lived experience matters

Great services should not simply be developed for autistic people. They should also be informed by autistic people.

Creating the Adult Lived Experience Advisory Panel is another step towards making sure lived experience has a strong and consistent voice within Autism Anglia.

By creating meaningful opportunities to listen, we can better understand what works, what needs to change and where we should focus next.

Could your experience help shape what comes next?

If you’re an autistic adult aged 18+ and would like to share your experiences, perspectives and ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

👉 Visit the Adult Lived Experience Advisory Panel page and apply to join today.

Your voice. Your experience. Help us shape what comes next. 🙌