Your Guide for for Building your Affirming Organisation or Group
Now available on Amazon in Full Colour and Reduced Colour versions
Ebook now available and hosted on AUsome Training
Scott Neilson and I would like to share the publication of our booklet ‘Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic People’ to help services be truly more inclusive of our community members.
We are Autistic educators and have personal experience in guiding organisations with creating affirming groups and we also know the benefits of when we are able to come together with our community members. We know that in these safe spaces that we are able to thrive.
We wanted to create this booklet in order to outline some of the key principles, values and approaches that can cultivate a safe space for Autistic people and better ensure that your event or group is accessible.
This guide is both for identifying and non-identifying people to help support developing their group across a range of settings and activities such as lunch clubs, interest-based groups, community events, play groups, library activities and online gatherings. It is also relevant for schools, universities, healthcare services and therapists who are looking to make a safe space for Autistics.
Our booklet covers topics such developing your group vision, participant goals, supporting the diversity of participant needs and accessibility topics. We also outline how to acknowledge and support participant differences in communication, learning and sensory needs. Importantly we have included multiple sections on ensuring that you have the right staff to be guiding your participants.
With over 100 pages of ideas, we hope that each of you are able to take away meaningful ways forward so that Autistic participants are truly welcomed, validated and comfortable taking part.
We also have included insight and quotes from various educators, professionals and advocates. Their contributions help describe what a safe space means to them, what it means to find community, ideas to consider for online groups and support of PDA Autistics.
We also welcome requests for organisation training based off of our booklet and additional education resources.
Thanks so much for sharing in on the excitement!
Please note that you are able to purchase 2 versions of the booklet and here is our series description to help you purchase the version best for you.
Series Description
We are offering two versions of our ‘Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic People’ booklet. One is ‘full colour’ which has different coloured backgrounds throughout the booklet and some differing font colours. The ‘reduced colour’ version has all beige backgrounds, only black text and some geometric template shapes removed. Please note that the content is the same in both and therefore both do not need to be purchased. Please choose the version that is best for you.
Reviews
“Wow it’s so comprehensive – you two have thought of everything. It’s an amazing resource.”
-Evaleen Whelton, AUsome Training
“This is such a valuable resource for educators, for anybody working within the autistic & neurodivergent community, to hear the autistic voice, to ensure that spaces do feel safe and secure because if they don’t, we are unable to engage, to facilitate and to use whatever is being offered.”
-Nicola Reekie, The PDA Space
“Woah…. super impressed at the phenomenal work and love Laura and Scott have poured into this vitally important guide! Listening to, and understanding Autistic lived experience – and working in a trauma informed approach – are all key to creating authentically safe, supporting spaces for Autistic people, and their families.”
Referenced In
Article by Sarah Pagdin on September 18th, 2024, ‘Navigating New Group Experiences’
Article by Miranda Newbery FCIEHF on October 24th, 2024, Overcoming the Double Empathy Problem to Make User Research Neuroinclusive
As Heard On
Podcast episode for Neurodiversity Natter: The Umbrella Project, Episode #6
Live Chat for SENDwise HUB,
Thanks for learning about our resource,
Laura Hellfeld
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Last modified: 1 January 2025