Autism ID Cards

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

As it’s autism awareness month, this week I’d like to discuss the topic of autism ID cards for individuals on the spectrum.

So what exactly are autism ID cards and what are the benefits?

Many autism organizations and charities offer autists the opportunity to apply for an ID card stating their autism status which they can carry on their person. This card can be provided to people to alert them of your diagnosis if you are struggling to communicate. For example, you can show your card in a restaurant to alert staff that you may need a little extra time, assistance or that you might have awkward dietary requirements (especially as some places can be weird about specific requests and substitutions). This can help reduce stress for autists knowing they have the card to help them communicate their needs better in social situations.

It can also be useful to have in your wallet for emergency services in the event of an accident. Having a card you can quickly produce in a crisis can rapidly help to de-escalate situations with emergency services where there is often confusion and miscommunication. My friends have often joked how they would love to have my literal autism card so that they could throw it down on the table in a social situation to get out of a bad conversation🤣

For a small fee, autists can fill out a form and provide a passport photo and proof of their autism diagnosis to the organization they are applying to to secure their card. Other organisations offer a simpler version of ID cards which inform the reader that the person showing them the card is autistic and provides emergency contact details.

In addition to their usefulness for emergency situations, depending on the ID card provider, some cards entitle you to discounts with corporate partners and free carer admittance. For example. you can see some of the discount benefits with ASD Ireland’s autism ID card here.

There is also another type of autism ID card called a JAM (just a minute) card. These free cards can be ordered for people with invisible disabilities like autism which can be presented in difficult social situations like in shops or on public transport so that people will be more understanding and give you extra time in an easy and private way. They also offer a JAM app if you do not want to use the card.

All in all, autism ID cards can be a very useful tool to have in your back pocket.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife