A YOUNG man who has been credited with giving a top bank official a “lightbulb moment” over its services to disabled customers, will be in Parliament this autumn to help start a nationwide campaign.

Luke Dicker, whose struggle to live with autism has been documented in the Standard, was in high level talks with Lloyds Bank late last year about changing the way it deals with disabilities like his.

Now he has been invited to Westminster to the official launch of Disability Rights UK and the bank’s own disability programme.

His meeting with customer services director Martin Dodd was described as a tipping point that triggered the bank to revamp its services for the disabled.

Luke, from Hullavington, said: “One day I was going to London to do so some work for the BBC and I had something go wrong with my banking so I had no money.”

Mum Jan tried to deal with it on his behalf back at home, but they discovered it was not a simple matter.

Help was there for the blind, deaf and those with other physical disabilities, but there was nothing for those at the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum, or for carers dealing with banks on their behalf, he explained.

Luke, a nationally recognised campaigner for fellow sufferers, met the bankers and tackled them with his problems. They were so impressed they nominated him to carry the Olympic flame and kept him in touch with their improvements.

“At the end of the day it is going to help people, that’s why Jan and I do it,” he told the Standard.

Jan said:”I am so proud of him and think he has done such a lot to make people aware of Autism and its difficulties.”

She will be with him on October 15 for the launch of Disability Rights UK which has been formed with the merger of Disability Alliance, Radar and the National Centre for Independent Living to form the largest national disability organisation led by disabled people.