Mr. Adam Harris:

The point around codification, and even contradiction or conflict, is very interesting. It is important to say that while the needs of every autistic person will be different, the domains we need to consider from a design point of view will very often be common or shared. There are some instances where the needs will contradict but not necessarily conflict, which is an important point to make. We are trying to create an environment that is as supportive a canvas as possible for an autistic person whatever his or her needs might be.

It is also about empowering the individual to make choices. If people know what an environment is like, they then have the ability to apply additional tools in order to make that environment more manageable for them. For example, if a very calm environment is created, an autistic person who needs additional stimulation can then, if that individual knows in advance, choose to bring headphones that have music playing to help them to navigate that environment. People will have heard of personal protective equipment, PPE, during the pandemic. Very often, people have sensory PPE that they need to use on a day-to-day basis. If they know about the environment and are empowered to use that sensory PPE in advance, that can go a long way.

We should think about some of the domains within the aspects framework I mentioned, for example, escape space. The reality is that if an escape space is created within the environment, one autistic person might use it because lighting has become overwhelming for that individual. Another autistic person might use it because of certain smells in the environment and another because they have spent too much time talking to an individual. If we think about safety, certain safety considerations can be important for an autistic person. By putting them generally in place, a person who does not have that safety concern will not be disadvantaged in any way. To respond to Dr. Craddock's point, it is more about putting in place a mindset around how we think about design as opposed to it having to be a one-size-fits-all model.