9 out of 10 autistic people experience sensory differences. Many environments do not accommodate these differences, which can prevent autistic people from accessing key services, leisure spaces, and social activities.

In 2021 we released six visionary and ambitious goals. One of these goals is to make public spaces more accessible for neurodivergent people. To achieve this, we developed the Autistica Inclusive Spaces Plan.

Why we created the plan

The public spaces we use every day have not been built to meet the needs of neurodivergent people. In the same way that spaces should be designed to accommodate physical disabilities, sensory differences should also be considered. Although designing inclusivity into an existing space can be challenging, small-scale adjustments can make a big difference to autistic people, such as designating quiet spaces or providing sensory tools.

What is in the plan

In the Autistica Inclusive Spaces Plan, we cover a series of projects that we believe can help make public spaces more inclusive for neurodivergent people by 2030. We have divided the plan into two sections:

Changing environments: Spaces, venues and services will be designed and adapted to meet a wide range of needs relevant to neurodivergent people.

Changing attitudes: Neurodivergent people will feel confident in highlighting the barriers they face and, where relevant, using their own sensory aids and strategies to mitigate these. Spaces, venues and services will support this by providing relevant accessibility information.

Who we worked with

In 2016, we worked with the autistic community to identify top research priorities, who told us that public spaces need to be more inclusive of sensory differences. Since then, we have been working with autistic people, researchers and people with a range of professional, academic and lived experience to refine this plan.

Next steps

Creating spaces that are more inclusive to neurodivergent people is complex, but necessary. Every autistic person is different, and people may have varying sensory differences that require different solutions.

We know more today than ever before about neurodiversity, sensory differences and how we can accommodate neurodivergent people’s needs. These need to be considered as part of inclusive design.