Blog post by Autism Europe for the Accessible Spaces for All project.
What are the most common accessibility barriers for autism in tourism? Autism Europe explores this topic, offering a general overview and examples of good practices while acknowledging that every autistic person has unique needs. It highlights the importance of consulting autistic individuals when designing accessible places and services. Common barriers arise from societal inaccessibility and misunderstandings of autistic behaviors. Reducing these barriers involves including autistic people in conversations, being patient, and empathetic.
The most common accessibility barriers for autistic person while travelling
Social Communication and Social Interaction
Many autistic people find it difficult to engage in social interactions. This usually involves them misunderstanding others or being misunderstood. It is important to note that social communication and social interaction skills vary between each individual and their needs vary accordingly. While some autistic people are highly effective communicators, some might find it difficult to understand abstract concepts or sarcasm while others might nonspeaking.
Repetive and Restrictive Behaviours
Many Autistic people find it difficult to break routines and schedules. They might find a new situation brings a lot of stress and use routine to manage anxiety. These factors can often be a significant barrier to overcome and can prevent them from engaging in tourism and related activities. This is because new environments are stress and anxiety inducing.
Sensory sensitivity
Sensory sensitivities are a common aspect of the autistic experience. Autistic people tend to be hypersensitive or hyposensitive to certain sensory stimuli. Certain sensory information can be overwhelming for some autistic people, for example bright lights, warm temperatures, noise and the texture of clothing can influence an individual’s decision to engage in specific activities. Each autistic person is different, and may react differently to different sensory stimuli, therefore this barrier can look differently and have different effects on each autistic person. They can affect what an individual does, wears, and where they go.
Highly focused interests and hobbies
Many autistic people have highly specific interests and hobbies. These interests can be as varied, as is the intensity of these interests. For some autistic people the level of focus on their interests can significantly influence the kind of activities they engage in and can seem heavily restrictive. Regardless, these highly focus interests and hobbies are an expression of the individual’s identity and are something they should be supported to engage in. Areas of interests vary greatly depending on each person. Due to how focused they might be their knowledge of their interests tends to be intensive.
Extreme Anxiety
Many autistic people experience anxiety which can make it difficult for them to enjoy their vacation activities. Anxiety in this case is worrying a lot about various things, which can make going to a cultural venue, on a holiday or even doing something new extremely difficult. It is an exhausting emotion and autistic people require empathy when they navigate it.
Meltdowns and Shutdowns
Meltdowns and shutdowns are what happens when a person becomes overwhelmed. Autistic people can be more vulnerable to these as they live in a world not built for them. Sensory overload, routine changes, anxiety about something new or different, and an inability to ‘stim’ can all trigger meltdowns and shutdowns. A meltdown is when the sensory overload is expressed outwards, it involves a temporarily losing of behavioral control. This to onlookers can present as inappropriate verbal communication or aggressive physical reactions. Whereas a shutdown is an inward expression of a sensory overload, this means autistic people might become disengaged and disinterested, they might decide the stop speaking or withdraw from the overwhelming environment. Autistic people tend be heavily judged by others in society, and negatively perceived by people, which leads to social isolation. This can create a negative feedback loop which can make it difficult for the autistic person to enjoy their lives fully.
What accommodations would help autistic people to manage these accessibility issues?
Sensory sensitive environments
To address sensory sensitivities, and avoid sensory overload there are several activities that can be undertaken to make an environment accessible to autistic people The first thing to consider is to not try and force an autistic person to go to an overwhelming place. Be empathetic and ask them about their needs. Sensory sensitivities can be address by targeting the specific sensory stimuli and presenting a solution. For instance, if a person is sensitive to light, try to find accommodation with blackout curtains, provide them with sunglasses or stick to shaded areas. For noise sensitivities, earplugs or ear defenders are an effective solution. It is important that the autistic persons’ voices and preferences are understood and listened to in order to facilitate a solution.
Clear communication and precise language
To help facilitate communication with autistic people it is important to tailor your communication style to their needs. This can vary from person to person however the following steps should help:
- Be aware of the environment you are in. It is harder to hear people talk if you are in a loud place.
- Be clear and concise, avoid using abstract, vague language and slang.
- Don’t ask too many questions or demand responses to multiple things at once.
- Use less nonverbal communication to get your message across.
- Avoid overloading someone with requests, statements or conversations. Take it slow and be patient.
Providing a guide of what to expect attending events or venues
To prepare autistic people for attending a venue or an event it is important that they are provided with a guide of what to expect. This guide could list things like the physical space, what to expect to see while at the venue or an event, what sensory stimuli to expect, and how long they should expect to be at the venue of the event. Keep it straight forward, specific, and achievable.
Safe Sensory Spaces for Meltdowns
Safe spaces for meltdowns or shutdowns should be areas with low levels of sensory stimuli and provide a secure place for an autistic person to calm down. This is usually a quiet place, with few or no people where they can regulate their emotions and recover from the meltdown or shutdown. Sensory friendly locations have been used for instance in Dublin airport in Ireland to help autistic cope with the stress of traveling.
Virtual Tours or pre tours when there are less people attending a venue
Virtual tours or doing pre familiarisation tours for autistic people to help them manage anxiety around new environments. Some museums, airports and cultural venues provide such a service to facilities accessible services for autistic people.
Are there any accessible tourist venues or cities for autistic people?
Many tourist spaces have started to cater to the accessibility needs of autistic people. These pioneering cities and venues should inspire the tourism sector to strive for accessibility.
Here are some that Autism-Europe’s believes are meeting the needs of autistic people:
One of Autism Europe’s Irish member As I Am works closely with autistic people, their families and public authorities across Ireland to make towns and cities autism friendly. They collaborated with Dublin City Council to make Dublin the first autism-friendly capital in Europe. This involved identifying common barriers and developing practical solutions. One innovative project was Sensoria, Ireland’s first Neurodivergent Friendly Festival, which created a sensory-friendly and inclusive experience for young autistic people by addressing shared barriers in the environment.
Next, we have the EMST Greek Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens where autistic children, adolescents and adults are able to cultivate skills related to exploration, organisation, recording and transmission of information through contemporary works of art. This interactive experience helps them enhance their senses, observation, memory, and imagination, addressing uncertainties and sensory sensitivities of new locations. EMST has also created guides, including a social story, sensory map, and sensory-friendly signs, making it Europe’s first autism-friendly museum.
In 2024, San Cristobal de La Laguna on the Canary Islands, Spain was a recipient of the European Commission’s annual AccessCityAward . This was earned through a series of accessibility initiatives, one of these being ‘Orange Point which provides a point-of-contact at city events and facilitates accessible leisure in the city. It provides sign language interpreters, anti-noise systems, and trained staff, as well as easy-to-read materials, that enable all people to enjoy organised events. This initiative demonstrates that a specialised unit, which understands the access requirements of autistic people, can support them attend leisure events that interest them.
As part of the Autism-friendly Spaces project together with Autism-Europe, project coordinator and non-government organisation Prism Malta certified eight different spaces across the smallest EU member state as actively striving to meet the accessibility needs of autistic people. Collaborating with agencies like the Maltese Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the certification ensures expert oversight of accessibility standards. This certification gives confidence to autistic people and their families that the space can cater to their needs and raises public awareness about accessibility. When Malta International Airport received their certification for the ‘Journey Facilitation for Passengers with Autism’ program, it gained national and international attention.
Lastly, an initiative tackling one of the most significant barriers to travel for autistic people, navigating through an airport. Airports pose many access barriers to autistic people and therefore can derail hopes of visiting new places. Belfast International Airport (in Northern Ireland) has addressed the significant barriers autistic people face when navigating airports, transforming the experience from sensory overload and anxiety to a supportive and accessible journey. They provide printable guides for adults and children, an autism awareness lanyard available at the special assistance desk, and familiarization visits through the ‘Try Before You Fly’ scheme. These measures help autistic tourists plan their time, receive necessary support, and reduce stress and anxiety by familiarising themselves with the airport environment in advance.
For more information, please contact An-Sofie Leenknecht, EDF Human Rights Coordinator: ansofie.leenknecht@edf-feph.org