The National Autistic Society, alongside the teams of world-renowned photographer Rankin and creative agency Ogilvy Health, is launching a campaign to amplify the voices of autistic women and non-binary people, and improve understanding of autism and late diagnosis.

The Now I Know campaign features powerful photography of six autistic women and non-binary people from across the country, who were photographed by Alex Heron, an autistic photographer from Rankin’s team, and shared their experiences of late diagnosis of autism. Due to gender stereotypes and lack of understanding, autistic women and non-binary people can often be overlooked and live without a diagnosis late into life, which can have severe negative impacts on mental and physical wellbeing.

The campaign was inspired by the words of Dawn Mills, who was diagnosed at the age of 56 and features in the campaign. She said: “I always knew who I was, now I know why I am.”

Alex Heron worked with each participant to photograph them in spaces which reflect their personalities and individual interests. The unique element of this campaign is the photography set up which included a shutter-release cable so that each person could be in control of capturing their image. The campaign therefore symbolises each person actively taking control of their image and a moment in time on their autism journey that reflects when they finally knew they were autistic.

Rankin said: “One of the brilliant things about the way that Alex has used her photography is by bringing subjects in and collaborating with them to make something that makes them feel seen and understood and I think that’s an incredibly important thing to do with photography. It’s the power of photography.”

Alex Heron, photographer at Rankin, said: “I get really emotional when I think about working on this project. When I grew up and I was diagnosed, I was told by my GP not to tell anyone because I’d never get employed and I’d never have a relationship or anything, so I kept it a secret. I just never want any kid to feel how I felt. Anything I can do that can makes kids or people going through a diagnosis feel seen, and see that actually there is employment, there’s a space for everybody and you just need to find that space.”

Caroline Stevens, Chief Executive at The National Autistic Society, said: “We are delighted to launch our Now I Know campaign to amplify the voices of autistic women and non-binary people and improve understanding of autism and late diagnosis.

“Research suggests the numbers of autistic men and women are more equal than previously thought. Yet many women and non-binary people still go through their lives without a diagnosis, a full understanding of who they are and the right support.

“Public knowledge is improving but we need a deeper understanding of the often-different experiences and less traditionally obvious traits of autistic women and non-binary people and how support can be best adapted for them.

“Our Now I Know campaign, featuring powerful stories and striking photography, will celebrate autistic women and non-binary people, challenge stereotypes and highlight how gender should never be a barrier to a diagnosis and getting the right support.”

Caroline Howe, CEO Ogilvy Health UK / EMEA, said: “As a company, we encourage our employees to create ideas that will impact the world. I’m delighted that, in collaboration with the National Autistic Society, we’ve been able to create this campaign to encourage autistic women to take control and share their inspirational stories.”

Across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, the National Autistic Society will be sharing stories from women and non-binary people using #NowIKnow. More information for autistic women and non-binary people can be found at the charity’s website along with videos of autistic people sharing their autism journey.