Can your organisation make One Small Change for autistic people?

17 Jun 2022 by Stuart Ashmore

One in every 100 people is autistic. Every autistic person is different, but for many autistic people a lack of understanding from the community, or overwhelming sensations can make everyday life more difficult. One Small Change is a local campaign (from Changing Our Lives(COL)) that aims to make Sandwell more autism friendly by asking businesses, community spaces and public services to make one small change to show your autistic customers that they are welcome and valued. 

What small change could you make?

You could: 

  • start a quiet hour in your shop or café; 
  • find autism awareness training for your staff or volunteers;
  • create a social story on your website so customers know what sensory environment to expect;
  • speak to autistic staff or customers about what change they would like to see.

How do you get involved?

  • Sign up by contacting holly[at]changingourlives.org
  • Tell COL where your organisation is starting from. Some will never have thought about being autism friendly before, others will have made lots of small changes in the past. Either is fine!
  • Speak to autistic people that you already know. You may already know of autistic customers or staff involved in your organisation. You could start by finding out what would make things easier for them.
  • Check out some of the changes that other organisations are making. COL will share examples of small changes on their website and on social media. These may inspire your change.
  • Make the change and tell COL about it. Tag COL on social media (Twitter: @positive_lives Instagram: @changingourlives) using #OneSmallChange and share your stories or photos about the changes you’ve made.