iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Taking a suicide prevention approach to our various needs means listening and acting on that information from a human rights based approach, taking accountability very seriously. When our lives are lost due to systemic failures, who answers to those failures? What changes are made?

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

And when systems considers the Autistic (and ADHD) neurotype from an intersectional lens, it begins to dismantle multiple barriers to all of our wellbeing. All of this ties in with the new Parliament's 100 Day Plan to address neurodivergent individuals' support.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

So, to actually prevent suicide ideation and completion, in the words of Dr Milton, "social isolation, anomie and alienation, along with too much uncertainty or too little autonomy, must all be factors that are in need of study... add to that ableism and intersectionality".

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

And when you add on the additional identities and experiences, who the system very differently and can plan to make effective change. The key is data, how we collect it and use it. Hiding from the problems that our systems cause only keeps the privileged thriving and marginalises the rest.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The picture does becomes clearer & actions more tangible. For eg, looking at underemployment rates, reduced access to health care, issues ending up in addictions & criminal record; being in abusive relationships, not believed or supported by social work, education, police, medical staff, and more.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Neurodivergence was only mentioned in the data related to LGBTQA+ identities, and not as an identity itself. The role of social work was also missing. The topic I brought to the table was about shifting the focus to consider ADHD and Autistic statistics.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

A few take-away reflections (shared in the group discussion): Although there was good data on demographics on gender, health outcomes, ethnicity, migration, LGBTQ+, employment outcomes, what was missing was a cross section analysis on belonging to multiple groups and the impact on mental health.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It was shared that in 2024, 80 people in the Glasgow & surrounding area died by suicide. The missing & equally important statistic is actually how many attempted & reported suicide. Has any information been collected on their reasons? And how many of them are neurodivergent, of what different types?

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

**Discussion around suicide** . . . . SEMA was invited to a Suicide Prevention networking event earlier this month by the Glasgow HSCP. It was interesting to hear about the changing demographics of the city and the interlinked cases of mental health issues.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

West of Scotland Regional Equality Council (WSREC) (support for Minority Ethnic individuals across Scotland) wsrec.co.uk/what-we-do/a... Stay safe. You are not alone Find out more about our work at sema.scot If our work means something to you, please consider supporting us sema.scot/support-us/

sema.scot

Karibu! - SEMA.Scot

Scotland‘s only autistic minority ethnic led organisation. Through training and consultancy, we aim to improve the lives of racialised Autistics.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Mind (mental health charity) www.mind.org.uk Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) www.samh.org.uk Victim Support Scotland victimsupport.scot/get-support/

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

It looks like community. And community is something we take seriously at SEMA. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Here are a few spaces you can use: Black Minds Matter UK (mental health resources) www.blackmindsmatteruk.com/resources Breathing Space www.breathingspace.scot

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

But prevention is possible. It looks like being believed and heard. It looks like kindness without assumptions. It looks like removing people from toxic environments and seeking justice for mistreatment. It looks like regular check ins, joyous distractions, and open honest communication.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Toxic stress, abuse, and bullying. Not being believed. Not being understood. Having nowhere to turn for professional or community support. These are not personal failings. They are the result of a world that was not built for us, and that too often refuses to adapt.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Autistic people are significantly more likely to experience suicidal ideation than the general population. For racialised Autistic people, the risk is compounded by the very systems that should be keeping them safe. Burnout from years of masking. Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

If we want to prevent suicide in our Autistic communities, we need effective implementation of our human rights, human connection, and an active approach to combat the toxic environment we seem to be living in. #SuicidePreventionWeek #SuicidePrevention

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

However, there are so many more of us who don't have words to describe our experiences due to the lack of assessment pathways, community support and uninformed professionals around us.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Many Autistic people feel or actually are isolated for several reasons. Many can't tell families that they are Autistic for fear of rejection and being ostracised. Many may not have a safe person.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

However, some of us have had enough of rejection sensitive dysphoria (especially when we are AuDHD), enough of connecting all the systems of oppression and enough of uncontrollable hyper empathy.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Recently we have had discussions around mental health and suicide ideation. Given that Autistic people, particularly women, are over represented in statistics around suicide, we should take time to analyse the factors that cause this. Being Autistic is not the cause.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Support for mental health Mind.org.uk SAMH.org.uk Samaritan.org Shout 85258 Voice: Aamir Kareem Urdu Translation: Nazia Ameen & Aamir Kareem #rejectionsensitivedysphoria #Racism #rsd #actuallyautistic

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

When 1 in 4 Autistic people are said to attempt suicide, we need to reshape society to be welcoming, non judgmental and open to difference. Translation into more languages to follow. To find out more about us, visit www.sema.scot and read our blog on RSD.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Read his memoir and work to carry on his legacy of calling for societal acceptance, love and harmony. This video invites the audience to reflect on the serious impact of a lifetime of rejection and perceived rejection, whether that be interpersonal, organisational or systemic.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Content warning *mention of suicide at the end* We dedicate this video in memory of Dr. Jason Arday, an openly autistic Black sociologist and educator who died on 14th August after the pile on by media hate.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Understanding experiences like maladaptive daydreaming is part of how we build genuine support for Autistic people at SEMA. Because when we understand the full picture of how Autistic and neurodivergent minds work, we can respond with compassion rather than confusion.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

If someone you know experiences this, gentle time boundaries can help them stay connected to the present. And if it is significantly affecting daily functioning, speaking with a GP is a good next step.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

For many people, maladaptive daydreaming develops as a coping mechanism. A way to process stress, escape from an overwhelming environment, or find a sense of control and safety in a world that often feels unpredictable. In that sense, it makes complete sense. The mind finds what it needs.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Unlike regular daydreaming, it can last for extended periods without the person realising how much time has passed, and it can begin to affect daily life, routines, and the things they care about.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

For many Autistic and neurodivergent people, this experience has a name. Maladaptive daydreaming. Maladaptive daydreaming is an immersive fantasy experience where a person becomes so absorbed in their inner world that it can feel like being inside a film or a story.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Have you ever found yourself so deep in a daydream that you lost track of time completely? That the world around you faded out and you were somewhere else entirely, living out a scenario that felt almost real?

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Black, Brown or Asian Autistic women wanting to live without fear, prejudice, bullying and harassment, but instead with respect, equal work opportunities and pay, access to justice and adjustments, really should not be this hard. 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Equality that leaves us out has never been equality at all. Women asking to be treated as equal humans shouldn't be activism. 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

We ask our allies to check out our womanhood webinar and e-book, which explore life transitions from puberty to menopause through the lens of racialised Autistic women, because those stories deserve to be told and understood. 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

We call on the government to open pathways that are holistic and improve assessment tools that are inclusive of the Global Majority and gender-minority. 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

There is no data specifically on racialised Autistic/ ADHD/ AuDHD women and girls, so how can @scottishgovernment.bsky.social allocate dedicated support while discussing their commitment to combatting women's equality? 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Research has shown that diagnosis rates for girls, women and racialised minorities remain far lower than white men and boys. The Autistic experience in women is routinely missed, misattributed, or dismissed. 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

We want this path open without barriers for other women, and girls, and not repeat the struggles that we and other female and non-binary leaders have experienced. We also know that Autistic women face particular challenges that are still largely invisible in both feminist and autistic spaces. 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

These are not small things. It is exhausting to experience all this in one lifetime. This is what the struggle for women's equality looks like when it is lived rather than just spoken about. 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Both SEMA founders have had to face misogyny, ableism, classism, and racism in several places; as young women, in relationships, as single parents, as employees, as students, when seeking justice, as well as in their advocacy against discriminatory systems of oppression. 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Autistic women. Women whose experiences sit at the intersection of race, faith, gender, and neurodivergence, and who have been fighting for visibility in every one of those spaces simultaneously. 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Today is Women's Equality Day. A day that reminds us how far women have fought for the right to simply be treated as equal, and how far there is still to go. At SEMA, equality for women means nothing if it does not include racialised women. Disabled women. 👇🧵

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

To every victim and survivor of faith-based or belief-based violence: you are seen, you are believed, and you deserve justice and community. Silence is complicity. Speaking up is the least we can do. Find out more about our work at 👉 sema.scot

sema.scot

Karibu! - SEMA.Scot

Scotland‘s only autistic minority ethnic led organisation. Through training and consultancy, we aim to improve the lives of racialised Autistics.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

That requires all of us to do better, to be better allies, to refuse to look away, and to stand with those who are targeted.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

We all have a responsibility here. As individuals, as communities, and as institutions. Scotland's new hate crime legislation is a step forward, and we welcome it. Legislation alone does not change culture.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

For racialised Autistic people, this is personal. Being Autistic alongside other protected characteristics can make us easier to target and more deeply affected when we are. The exclusion, hostility, and violence that comes from hate does not leave us untouched. It leaves marks that last.

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Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics @semascot.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

And we know that some communities carry far heavier burdens than others. When race, disability, faith, gender, and sexual orientation intersect, the hatred compounds and the impact cuts deeper.

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