Airport staff get to grips with the reality of autism
Workers and passengers experience sensory unit
Lynn Jolly
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Gavin McInally Gavin McInally
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David Campbell
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Sport craig.ritchie@trinitymirror.com Staff and passengers at Glasgow Airport had a glimpse of what life is like for people living with autism yesterday.
The Au t i s m R e a l i t y Experience is an innovative new sensory unit designed to give people a better understanding of how acute sensitivities to light, sound and other everyday things can distress people on the autistic spectrum.
Passengers and many of the airport’s 5,000 staff visited the mobile sensory unit yesterday when it was based outside the main terminal for the day.
Those taking part attempted a series of tasks while being subject to a range of effects designed to overload their vision, hearing and thought processes.
Paul Scott, from Glasgow Airport, said: “We’ve been arranging pre- flight visits to the airport from families for a number of years. These can vary from a coffee and a chat through the process to arranging airport familiarisation tours.
“We regularly receive requests from the carers or parents of people with autism who are planning to travel through the airport, and the level of support they require can vary depending on the specific needs of the person travelling.
“The number of requests we receive each year is increasing, so we thought it was important to bring in the Autism Reality Experience team to ensure that both our staff and passengers can better appreciate the difficulties faced by people with autism doing something seemingly as straightforward as going through an airport.”
Charlene Taitt, from the Scottish Autism charity, said: “We are delighted with Glasgow Airport and fully support its commitment to create the best possible environment for people with autism.
“Many autistic people and their families can find travelling through an airport to be a stressful experience.
“The crowds of people, bustling atmosphere, security requirements and higher than usual noise levels, which are common features in many airports, along with the added tension that accompanies flying, can make air travel untenable for individuals who live with the condition.
“All these factors can cause sensory overload for people with autism, who can often have an adverse reaction to a unique which they cannot control.
“As a charity dedicated to helping people with autism get the most out of life, we are very pleased to see Glasgow Airport taking the lead within their industry by introducing this new initiative.”
We’ve been arranging pre-flight visits to the airport from families for a number of years