World Autism Acceptance Week 2024

Welcome,

It is World Autism Acceptance Week from 2nd-8th April 2024. To mark this I will be giving a presentation to staff at the CQC about autistic women and girls. I am always pleased to help others improve their awareness of autism.

Meanwhile at my NHS hospital neurodivergent people can now access our newly designed, quiet waiting room if they wish. It’s also a peaceful place for others. We are really proud of this quality improvement project which was co-produced with autistic people.

Designing our new waiting room was all about “reasonable adjustments”. This means adaptations to make services more accessible. Did you know autistic people are entitled to seek reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010? Autistic SPACE is a great framework which can help you improve accessibility.

We reviewed our patient feedback, consulted fantastic autistic representatives, and created a new, private space. We were able to incorporate: dimmable lighting, soundproofing, muted tones, comfortable furnishings, sensory toys, and helpful written information. I hope it makes the experience of coming for an adult autism assessment less daunting. It’s a small step but one in the right direction.