“One in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.” – National Autistic Society
World Autism Awareness Week is a week in which people come together to raise more awareness around Autism & the Autistic Spectrum.
“Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world.” – National Autistic Society
Autism & The Access Card
Here at The Access Card, we support many cardholders to help them discreetly communicate the barriers they might face when out and about or visiting shows, events, or tourist destinations and have provided some more information about some of the typical access requirements we have processed.
Everyone is different and experiences their needs in different ways, but here are some examples based on our experience.
Standing & Queuing
Whether you have difficulty with physically being in a queue for a significant period of time, difficulty with the concept of queuing, or have difficulty with being in a queue/ crowded spaces, the ‘Standing & Queuing’ symbol can be added to your Access Card to help communicate this access requirement.
Different providers have different systems in place to facilitate this access requirement.
For example, Thorpe Park accepts Access Cards with the ‘Standing & Queuing’ symbol as proof for a Ride Access Pass.
What is a Ride Access Pass?
“A Ride Access Pass is a virtual queuing system designed to make reasonable adjustments to assist guests who do not understand the concept of queuing, have a physical disability that prevents them standing for extended periods of time or permanently non-ambulant guests.”
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Essential Companions
For those that require a substantial amount of support from another person when out & about, we have the ‘+1’ symbol which indicates to providers that you would need a substantial amount of support to be able to access their facilities.
Different providers have different systems in place to facilitate this access requirement.
For example, Glastonbury Festival accepts Access Cards with the ‘+1’ symbol as proof for a free essential companion ticket.
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Accessing Visual Information
If you have difficulty with accessing/understanding visual information, for example, written information or signage, the Access Card has a symbol to help communicate this access requirement.
Different providers have different systems in place to facilitate this access requirement.
For example, Castle Howard has access information available in large print or braille.
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Accessing Audible Information
If you have difficulty with accessing/understanding audible information, the Access Card has a symbol to help communicate this access requirement.
Different providers have different systems in place to facilitate this access requirement.
For example, the Chichester Festival Theatre offers both British Sign Language interpreted & captioned performances. For more information, please visit the theatre’s website.
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Additional Access Requirements
The ‘Additional Access Requirements’ symbol is used to indicate that you have additional access requirements that haven’t already been covered by the other symbols & you can communicate these access requirements with different venues & attractions.
A lot of venues & attractions will include additional information about their events/services on their website. This may include information about the use of strobe lighting & smoke machines during performances, which can be an issue for people with epilepsy. Please refer to each venue’s website for this information.
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Thinking of applying for a Card?
If you think the above would be useful for you and would like to apply for your Access Card you can do so quickly and easily by completing our short online application form and uploading some supporting information confirming your needs.
Further Sources of Information, Advice, and Support
Check out our full directory for how these symbols apply at over 1,000 venues in the UK and beyond.
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National Autistic Society
“We are the UK’s leading charity for people on the autism spectrum and their families. Since 1962, we have been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, services and opportunities to help create a society that works for autistic people.”
Tel: 0207 833 2299
Web: https://www.autism.org.uk/
Email: nas@nas.org.uk
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📷: https://www.facebook.com/NationalAutisticSociety
