SKIES across Teesside will be awash with gold this weekend, as the region’s most recognisable landmarks gear up for a very special campaign.

It’s all thanks to the pioneering work of the North East Autism Society and World Autism Acceptance Week, which culminates with World Autism Acceptance Day this Sunday (April 2nd). 

With a long list of local authorities and their landmarks poised to ‘go gold’, it looks set to be another record-breaking year for the region’s leading autism-specific service provider, which operates a range of services across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Teesside.

John Phillipson, CEO at NEAS, said: “Now in its fifth year, our Autism Acceptance campaign continues to garner huge support across the region and it is so exciting to see more landmarks than ever lighting up gold in the name of autism acceptance this year.”

Venues going gold to mark Autism Acceptance Day include:

  • Sunderland: Northern Spire Bridge, Penshaw Monument, Keel Square, Market Square, Seaburn Lighthouse, Fulwell Mill and Hylton Castle. 
  • Newcastle: Newcastle Civic Centre and Tyne Bridge.
  • Gateshead: Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
  • Stockton: Stockton Town Centre fountains and lighting columns, Riverside and Newport Bridge. 
  • Darlington: Darlington Clock Tower.
  • North Tyneside: St Mary’s Lighthouse and Killingworth Block A.

For the past five years, the charity has asked supporters to use the colour gold throughout Autism Acceptance Week, rather than blue which has traditionally been associated with autism. 

This change came as a result of direct feedback from the autistic community, as some organisations that focus on lighting up blue talk about deficits or curing autism. It was also at this time that NEAS moved away from campaigning for autism awareness and began pushing for acceptance instead.

This year the charity has taken things one step further, with its Everyday Equality campaign, designed to highlight the experiences and inequalities faced by autistic and neurodivergent people in five areas of everyday life: education, health, travel, employment and finance.

“We can understand there are obstacles out there that make life challenging for autistic people, but it’s all too easy to do nothing to set about removing those obstacles,” John added. “Our Everyday Equality campaign is about closing that gap between ideas and action.

“We need to stop and recognise what’s happening right in front of us. The person who is facing these obstacles might be the person in front of you in a queue, or using your shop, or accessing your service.

“Our campaign is being led by autistic and neurodivergent people who want us to hear about their experiences and take a minute to reflect. Unless we do, we will continue to miss the opportunity to reorganise things and improve access for everyone.”

The move from awareness to acceptance has seen the charity, which was founded by a group of parents in Sunderland in 1980, continue to innovate and lead the region in how autism is viewed and understood. 

For the third year running, NEAS will host its Acceptance Matters virtual conference on Friday, May 26, which includes a line-up of autistic speakers and practitioners. The charity will also be returning to Herrington Country Park on Friday, April 14, for its annual Walk for Acceptance, which attracted more than 400 people to the outdoor Sunderland venue last year.

The Society has also created free toolkits for schools and businesses, to support them in promoting acceptance and educating staff and pupils around neurodiversity. To receive the free resource pack, interested parties simply need to register on the charity’s website.

  • To find out more about this year’s campaign, or to register for the Acceptance Matters Conference or the Walk for Acceptance, visit: https://www.ne-as.org.uk/everyday-equality