We've been working with Queen Mary University of London to develop guidance for technology companies and regulators, to make online platforms safer and more inclusive for autistic people.
We know that online platforms can be a valuable way for autistic people to socialise and carry out activities that are more challenging in physical spaces. However, most digital platforms have not considered autistic users in their design. We want that to change.
How are you supposed to engage with something when you can’t see in through the virtual front door to see if you’d want to be part of it?
Autistic research participant
What's in the guidance
The guidance explores the issues that autistic people encounter in online spaces. It suggests three actions for digital platforms and regulators:
- Digital platforms should refer to the toolkit that has been developed from this research.
- Digital platforms and services should provide adequate support to help people navigate the social nuances and unspoken rules of online communities.
- Ofcom should consider the needs of autistic users in its forthcoming guidance for digital platforms and search engines.
The guidance also suggests next steps for research.
How the guidance was created
The research team ran a trial in two phases to gather the evidence for this guidance. The first phase involved gathering and analysing autistic social media users' posts, and carrying out interviews about their experiences. The second stage involved a workshop to explore some of the findings from phase one further with a group of autistic adults. The quotes in the guidance are taken from those who took part in the study.
You can learn more about the project on the Autistic Adults Online website. The study is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and is a collaboration between Queen Mary University of London, the University of Edinburgh and Autistica