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Tate Liverpool to hold
Autism Hour all week to make the world more autism friendly
THE Tate Liverpool has teamed up with
leading autism charity, the National Autistic Society, to launch the UK's 1st
week long event, on 2 October 2017, where shops and services take 60 minutes to
provide autistic people with a break from the usual overload of 'too much
information.'
The Albert Dock gallery will be holding their autism hour, at 16:00 to 17:00,
from Monday, 2 October to Friday, 6 October and 10:00 to 11:00, on Saturday, 7
and Sunday, 8 October 2017. Tate will be taking simple steps to make their
gallery, shop and café more autism friendly. The lights in the shop will be
dimmed and the hand driers will be turned off in the toilets with hand towels
provided instead. There will be quiet spaces around the gallery in case visitors
need a space to relax and be calm and staff members will be able to offer
assistance if needed. In the café music will not be played drinks will be served
in paper cups to reduce noise levels. Ear defenders will be clearly visible in
the café and foyer and copies of our:- "Planning Your Visit" easy
read guide will be available
More than 1 in 100 people are on the autism spectrum which means that someone
sees, hears and feels the world in a different, often more intense way to other
people. Autistic people often find social situations difficult and struggle to
filter out the sounds, smells, sights and information they experience, which
means they feel overwhelmed by ‘too much information' when out in
public. The National Autistic Society's recent survey revealed that 64% of
autistic people avoid sometimes going to the shops because of their autism.
Following the launch week, Tate Liverpool will be holding regular Autism Hours,
responding to feedback from visitors. The forthcoming dates for Autism Hour at
the gallery will be on:- Saturday, 4 November 2017, 10.00 to 11.00 and Saturday,
2 December 2017, 10.00 to 11.00.
Mark Lever, CEO at the National Autistic Society said:- "It is really
encouraging to see shops and services such as Tate Liverpool getting involved in
the National Autistic Society's Autism Hour. Like anyone, people on the autism
spectrum and their families want the opportunity to go to the shops. But many
find the often busy, loud and unpredictable environment of public places
overwhelming and avoid them altogether. Our Too Much Information campaign has
highlighted that the smallest changes can make the biggest difference for
autistic people and we are confident this week long event around the UK will
help shops and services understand how we can work towards a more autism
friendly world."
To find our more information about attending a National Autistic Society's
Autism Hour, please visit the Society's
website.
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