Autism Cards: Good or bad?

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They're planning to launch a scheme in which autistic people are issued a card in the UK which states that the person is autistic.

I feel rather uneasy about this idea, but how do you feel about it?

No way - I don't want everybody knowing I have AS, unless I want someone to.

O_o Remind you of some period in history?!

Same sorta thing if they're forcing us to carry cards around.

He never said they have to CARRY them around, merely that they are issued one. Presumably, it would not be mandatory and would only be for reference in encounters with the law or in emergencies. It's a positive thing, not a negative. At least it's supposed to be.

Along these lines, the police in my city have started a voluntary autism signup program where you can provide brief information on communication style, favourite places, favourite items, etc which will become available to the officers if ever (and only if) they get a call to the specified address.

Which makes sense and for many may be a good logical safety step. - again: entirely voluntary

So we won't have to show it to people who don't need to see it, like cashiers?

if they are government checked for diagnosis, i think it's a good thing to have these cards.
there would be many situations in which being autistic can be a bad for you; say, if a cop interrogates you, and takes your eye-contact avoiding as a sign of guilt.
now, if you had a government-issued official autism card, you can use this to prove to the cop that you indeed are autistic, and not merely using it as an excuse to hide your guilt.

the way i see it, it's like a drivers liscence, you dont usually need to show it, but it is used to prove you are able and allowed to drive if you make use of the right it grants (e.g. driving a car)

There is a news video item by my local tv station here:
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/highlands-i ... ntroduced/

Sorry if it doesn't play for you abroad.

Thanks CosmicRuss, that's an interesting video. I know that there are similar schemes in Wiltshire, Cumbria, and Essex, and that the National Autistic Society also provide cards to anyone autistic in the UK.

I thought that Noop had heard about a UK government scheme to issue these cards, but I was probably jumping to conclusions.

I expect in the future any such information will be added to the memory bank of our implanted microchips.

Personally, as long as it is not mandatory, I do not see an issue with this. In fact, some US states allow you to encode information like that on your drivers license so that it comes up when an officer scans your license on his/her computer.

Even if most people don't want to carry them around, it can be a boon for those who are nonverbal and forced into a situation in which they are expected to speak.

It sounds like a free MedicAlert card. Is that what it is? Because that seems like a good idea to me. Having one in your wallet could really help if you froze up and the cops had no idea if you were on drugs or something.

If its non-mandatory I find it a really good idea. I've almost printed one off for myself, just don't have the laminating things that it'd want.