The UK Autism Foundation is urging people to join a campaign to Say NO to the Slashing of the Disability Living Allowance. The Coalition government is proposing to radically reform Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and replace it with a Personal Independence Payment (PIP). In the process they plan to introduce new assessments and cut the budget and caseload by 20%.

Before the election, David Cameron as Leader of the Opposition wrote to Ivan Corea of the UK Autism Foundation in 2009 and said:  'As you know, this country is in a very serious debt crisis and we need urgently to get our public finances under control. This does not mean that some very tough decisions are necessary and public spending will have to be cut. But at the same time, we have said very clearly as a Party that we must not pare down the debt on the backs of the most vulnerable in our society. And that is why we have committed ourselves to real increases in health spending and to deliver real changes to the way the NHS works in practice so that it can meet the health challenges of the future. I agree with you that autism represents one of the most difficult and pressing of these challenges,' he said.

David Cameron went on to state: 'I am very keen to make changes to the way the funds for these disabilities are allocated. Patients and health professionals should have more power over the way that their health priorities are decided and I want to more personal budgets and direct payments so that decisions about funding can be taken at the closest possible level to the individual concerned.'

The plans to get rid of the Disability Living Allowance have caused an uproar with disability campaigners across the UK calling them unfair and unjust - particularly during these tough economic times. Thirty Seven members of parliament of all parties have signed a motion in the House of Commons backing the campaigning efforts of Ivan and Charika Corea - EDM 1467 on Autism Sunday specifically 'calls on the Government to protect and shield parents, carers and the autism community from the cuts to disability benefits and cuts to public services; and supports the call of the organisers for parliamentarians to Speak Up for Autism.'

Ivan Corea has called on people to write to their MPs, to write to the Prime Minister David Cameron, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and DWP Secretary Iain Duncan-Smith urging them not to penalise the vulnerable. Autism campaigners have maintained that the government plans will drive parents, carers and the Autism Community deeper into poverty.

Ivan Corea said: ' UKAF is urging people to support the Autism Community by tweeting for autism in UKAF's World Autism Awareness Day 2011 Twitter Storm on Saturday 2nd April and send a clear message to the Coalition Government about the Welfare Reforms. People have been asked to use the tags #autism, #worldautismawarenessday when they join United Nations the World Autism Awareness Day Twitter Storm on 2nd April.