Leeds man gives autistic people a voice with magazine

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Leeds man gives autistic people a voice with magazine

After years of struggling to find a job, a social entrepreneur is proving

Asperger's Syndrome is no barrier to success

Luke Aylward autism leeds Leeds social entrepreneur Luke Aylward, who has

Asperger's Syndrome

A Leeds man is championing equality for people with autism - after successfully

setting up his own independent enterprise in the city.

Luke Aylward, 25 from Swarcliffe, struggled for three and a half years to find

employment after graduating with a degree in journalism from the University of

Lincoln in 2006.

Luke has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of the psychological disorder autism which

causes difficulties in social interaction. The condition meant he often

struggled in high-pressure situations such as job interviews and was left with

his self-esteem severely dented following years of rejection from potential

employers.

Instead of giving up, Luke decided to look at other opportunities such as

launching his own business. With the help of Sharing the Success, the Leeds

Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) Luke transformed his experience of

being unemployed and into a social enterprise and launched a magazine called

'Aspire' which aimed to help others with the same condition.

When looking for direction from people who had been in similar situations, Luke,

who was diagnosed with Aspergers as a child, could not find magazines on autism

which contained an autistic voice, rather than those from professionals working

in the disability sector.

Platform for autistic community

This inspired him to set-up 'Aspire', specifically written by and for people on

the autistic spectrum. Aspire provides a platform for the autistic community to

discuss issues which affect them, their supporters and friends.

The magazine contains features and articles with advice on various job

opportunities, as well as inspirational stories of people who have the condition

but who have successful careers in a variety of professions.

Luke said:

" After a long time of feeling incredibly frustrated at not being able to get

a job, I was absolutely overjoyed to receive the grant I received from Unltd -

without it, I would not have been able to make my idea become something which I

feel is making a really positive contribution to the autistic community.

" It feels great to become my own boss and work on something I feel

passionate about - producing a channel of communication which gives people with

autism a strong voice.

" This magazine challenges preconceptions and will give the autistic

community practical advice and tips and the confidence to find employment or

start their own business. "

Last year, he visited the Urban Biz centre, funded by Sharing the Success, a

programme designed to regenerate marginalised communities by helping residents

consider enterprise and self-employment as a career option.

Charity helps social entrepreneurs

After discussing what opportunities were available to him, Luke was pointed to

Unltd, also funded by Sharing the Success. Unltd is a charity which helps social

entrepreneurs by providing a complete package of funding and support. Luke was

given a £2,450 grant to make his idea a reality and last summer he started to

print trial copies of the monthly magazine which he largely researched and wrote

himself.

Luke received much positive feedback from readers who like the fact that the

magazine focuses on content which highlights the opportunities available for

people with autism and expands on their creative potential, while challenging

stereotypical views.

Luke published his first edition of the magazine in March 2010 and is now on his

fourth issue. He currently sells 100-150 copies at £2 for a printed edition

around Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Stoke to groups and organisations as

well as 'Aspire' merchandise such as badges and posters at stalls in Leeds'

Shine and Hillside centres.

Luke now regularly commissions other writers who suffer from the condition to

submit articles and features and looks on online forums to connect to the wider

autistic community and find stories.

Interview with artist

Luke's highlight of working on the magazine so far was the opportunity to

interview Steve Frisby, a successful artist with Asperger's Syndrome who paints

complex geometric and fractal designs and actually attributes his ability to

dream up complex geometry to his condition, which he describes as a " state of

inner balance that is largely misunderstood " .

The two have since remained in contact and Steve's work has appeared in the

magazine.

In the future, Luke would like to expand his distribution further around the UK

and is working on a subscription service in order to get regular orders from

groups around the country who distribute them.