I have an idea

Hi all,

I have come up with an idea for a project and was wondering if anyone could help/give feedback.

What do people think of autism friendly places/activities?

The idea is an app specifically for the UK that has all the different places/activities that are autism friendly on a map. It would include a suggestions post where people could add a place they thought was appropriate. 

Any comments would be great

Thanks

  • Hey, I came across a great game that helps my child learn alot about saving wildlife. Get your hands on the sensible game ever made www.tunzagames.com/conservation-crisis-the-game

  • There was an autism friendly cafe/restaurant/coffee shop in Australia that was started by a couple with an autistic son. They wanted a place where they could go out to together. So at their place, people can bring their own food if they’ve got particular likes etc. It’s decor is neutral and staff are trained to not freak out if a kid or someone starts freaking out or not to stare if a kid has what some people consider unusual mannerisms. They are sensitive to customers needs.

    My friend also goes on holiday to an autism friendly holiday place. She said it’s expensive but her son can run around like he likes to without anybody feeling worried or complaining. She said it’s worth it because all the families there have someone with autism so there’s a lot of understanding and a hell of a lot less stress for her and her son and daughter get to enjoy themselves in different ways. There’s no pressure on them to conform to a certain way. 

    There are some restaurants in the uk that are autism friendly but I haven’t been to any of them yet.

    I think it’s probably more about acceptance. If I had an autism friendly coffee shop, I would like it to be quite, with maybe a couple of sensory rooms. I would look at soft lighting and offer different ways people could order their food etc. For example, menus in different formats that would suit a variety of communication styles. If somebody had a meltdown while in there, people would be helpful and understanding rather than scared or judgemental or whatever. 

    The ap could describe the venue and what it offers and people could decide before going there if it would be somewhere they might like to go. Maybe one place is good for one person but not for another, but if the information is in one place, people could at least search for possibilities. 

  • Hi NAS35595,

    It's a nice idea on paper. My challenge would be, since people with autism suffer in different ways and find challenges with different things, how do you suggest we can create an "autism-friendly" place if the experiences are so diverse? What would "autism-friendly" involve?x

    Much love <3

  • Hi guys, 

    This is currently a university project at the moment however I am greatful for all your interest and comment and feel the idea could really develop further.

    Thanks again

  • , do you feel like knocking up a "simplest thing that could possibly work" prototype?

  • Slight smilethank you for explanation of the acronyms. The beauty of a community is that we all have different strengths. So it’s good that you can show us a practical view of such a project. I just didn’t want to possibilities squashed. In with the classification of the type of place could also be a couple of descriptive words to show why it’s afa. But yes I think you’ve got it about right. 

  • Mashup or FWIW or grok or Usp ; I don’t know what these mean!

    No problem, my mind was racing a bit, but you're right, I should have been clearer. 

    Mashup: sticking two ideas together to build something new, usually quicker than reinventing wheels. 

    FWIW: For What It's Worth

    Grok: understand, comprehend, appreciate, value

    USP: Unique Selling Point. 

    I'm not saying you can't have an app. Really I'm just thinking aloud, partly to test my understanding of what is being suggested, and partly because I could immediately see some potential pitfalls. 

    When embarking upon a journey like this, I have a habit of thinking ahead about what might get in the way. As a result, a lot of problems can be sorted out by the time they'd actually be a problem. This is partly the way I'm wired, and partly because of the types of jobs I've held. You wouldn't be the first to accuse me of negativity. 

    As I already suggested, one way of positively achieving what i think we'd all find useful is to persuade the NAS to widen the remit of the existing directory. Alternatively, yes, there's the possibility of apps, but i think it would also need to be accessible via the web, possibly with a different level of functionality. 

    What sort of information would be needed?

    postal address, for a pin on a map

    GPS postcode 

    classification of the type of place - probably keyword based 

    Phone numbers

    email addresses 

    website

    anything else?

  • I have read your comments with interest. Yes I agree we could submit our ideas to be a new less formal section of the Nas directory ( which is more about what professional services are available not social). I find the directory disheartening because there is so little of it applicable to me. An app could be supplementary for those who find that format easier to use. Some of us find apps easier to use than websites and links in websites. There is room for all types. We already have to search around more than one place to find anything or any services if there isn’t anything on the directory in the area you live that the norm for those of us in that situation the idea of the app is to bring a broader range of things together. Apps aren’t just accessible on smartphones and tablets, you get them on laptops too I don’t know about pc’s as I don’t have one.

    Mashup or FWIW or grok or Usp ; I don’t know what these mean! Paying a subscription is an assumption not a fact at the moment. I think you must be a lot younger than me and more tech savvy  as I just talked about what would be useful to me not the technical implications. 

    Whose to say the identity of the submission needs to be public? And also it would just mean everyone is aware that there is someone in the area who would like an afa not who it is and there is a very strong likelihood of that being the case wherever you live and could be reassuring because in many cases there isn’t a way to find other autistic adults if there isn’t a meet up and that is very isolating. I asked my Gp if there are other people with autism/Aspergers where I live .. she said yes but I haven’t a clue who they are or how to meet them. But yes I agree for the privacy to be maintained in submitting suggestions. Yes we are all very individual. Yes we may more than probably like /dislike different attributes to a venue but isnt it worth a try? How do you positively suggest something like this can be achieved if you don’t like the suggestions so far? Personally something like this would be fantastic as I spend the majority of my time at home alone. With support there are 2 tearooms I can go to and feel as comfortable as I am able. The local cinema I go to about twice a year.. I went to see Paddington the volume was so loud I stuck tissues in my ears , the sports centre is claustrophobic and doesn’t offer any sessions for someone like me, there aren’t any services for people with adult Aspergers where I live. I really would benefit and use some sort of easy place to find out about things in my area as I have searched for hours at a time becoming more and more despondent when I didn’t find anything. 

  • I used to live close to a Buddhist centre and would visit regularly  In fact I have the Buddhist centre to thank for teaching me how to meditate.  Sadly, there are none close to me now, but the peacefulness of these types of environments is something everyone could benefit from in an increasingly noisy and busy world.   

  • Yes! Our local coffee shop is a Costa, which I really like, but can't tolerate the baristas banging around behind the counter. Love the idea of somewhere quiet!

  • Hi @Misfit61,

    OK, so given your comment, I can see two options (there might be other options, but I can't personally see them right now; is that also an ASD "thing"??? Grin):

    1) Augment the existing NAS directory with the additional information, and make it a one-stop-shop. Let the NAS vet any submissions from users.

    2) Fragment the information between the NAS directory and a 3rd party app, with the likelihood that some users, such as Former Member, can't access a 3rd party app, simply because they don't have the "right" phone/tablet. FWIW, I wasn't actually planning on *my* next handset being a smartphone either. This immediately creates a second class of autistic "have nots". Then the rest of you will have the consequential problem of needing to look in two or more places whenever you want something autism-related. You'll probably also have to pay some kind of subscription fee to use the app, depending on the business model that the provider selects; server time is unfortunately not totally free, and an app's creators deserve to eat, too.

    I also fully grok your explanation of the crowd-sourcing of additional venues. It's the USP of this proposal really. However, again, I think there is a potential unintended consequence here too:

    Let's say forum user @XYZ (I hope there isn't a real @XYZ because I just made that up Grinning) starts submitting AFAs (Autism Friendly Areas) to the app. It could well be feasible to identify us by analysis of the "centres of gravity" of our submissions, based on our actual locations being roughly central to the set of places we each identify as being autism friendly. This immediately makes user privacy a big concern of any such 3rd party app.

    Next, you've also got the situation where user @999 adds a cafe that they like very much, only to have other users panning the place because each of our needs and specific triggers are different? I guess I am wondering if there are really places that are accessible to *all* autistic individuals, or only overlapping sub-sets of *some* of us... we would probably need to have a trial data set of "really good places" to progress those questions though.

  • The trouble is that the data on the directory isn’t sufficient. It’s all very well if you are “lucky” enough to live in an area where there are services and autistic specific support or friendly places. Many areas of the country just do not have anything on the directory or if there is it’s the wrong age group or service.  I think the idea is more for things not on the directory already. So that if we find something/somewhere that is autism friendly it can be added to the app. For example the little local quiet cafe or the quieter evening dimmed lighting swim etc if each one of us could add two or three things up and down the country we could cover more postcodes. The quiet cinema events are a great idea but for me they are miles away and just too far to attend. Even Council sports facilities are postcode lottery’s in one area there are more disabled or autism friendly events or sessions and in some they just don’t understand what you are asking for and so there aren’t any. It’s not just noise and lights, it’s sizes of groups or how claustrophobic somewhere is alterations in shops or libraries where shelves are brought closer together or higher mean I’m less likely to go in .. 

  • I like nature reserves too. Belatedly, I discovered that research has been showing that time spent in a natural environment (particularly if it's near water) can do wonders for mental health.

    Forestry commission land is OK, but the areas near us are more degraded than the wildlife trust nature reserves.

    You can find a wildlife trust reserve near you at: http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/reserves

    Depending upon your circumstances, the wildlife trusts also offer day workshops on various natural history topics.

  • ...so you're saying you want to put the data from the NAS service directory http://www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx onto a map, so that people can see the relative location of things?

    Couldn't we just ask the NAS to insert a Google map mashup into their existing service directory, so that anyone with access to the web (even if they don't own the relevant smartphone platform), would be able to access it?

  • I go to my local Buddhist centre that has a world peace cafe, it’s so restful. We had a Christmas dinner a few nights ago which was lovely. There are a few autism friendly cafes dotted around the UK, but not enough and none in my area; however, I think we’ll start to see more of them. 

  • I like the idea too. I don’t have access to the autism friendly cinemas or supermarkets either ( or any other adult autism support) it would be useful to have access to information in one place. I sometimes think it would be good to have a community forum app too so didn’t have to go onto the web to get here. 

  • Have you got a local Buddhist Centre or retreat? They often have a quiet cafe in peaceful surroundings where anyone is welcome .. You aren’t obliged to be Buddhist or feel you have to join in but they are restful and don’t have distracting music. 

  • This is a great idea and we should all be provided with options.  In fact my biggest gripe at the moment is not being able to go for a relaxing coffee with my partner.  The coffee shops now insist on ramping the 'background' music up, clattering every bit of crockery around in site and as a result everyone attending feels the need to shout over the noise when having a conversation.  Long gone are the days of going to a quiet coffee shop and settling into a book over a cup of coffee.

  • I like the idea but please do not forget about those of us who do not use a 'smart' phone or a tablet.

  • I would love this. Only yesterday I was searching the web for autistic friendly supermarket slots and cinema times. I found no supermarkets in the area and the only cinema slot was a slot for a little kids movie. I would love to go to autistic friendly places, I'm done with trying to squeeze myself into the nt world. I don't want to do it anymore but I still want to live. Truly, this would be a godsend to me. I only got my diagnosis at the end of October but already I'm seeking out places. So far, I've found a nature reserve, just up the road from me, that has a lovely cafe and shop as well and they sell vegan food, standard, but vegan, and I'd love to find more places. Having the places in an ap would be really helpful as well because already I had forgotten about the nature reserve until now! I think I'll go to the nature reserve tomorrow. I could do with the peace and quite. Let me know if I can be of any help. It's a great idea.