Autism Reality Experience bus goes on tour through the Northern Trust area

The Autism Reality Experience bus has gone on tour around the Northern Health and Social Care Trust area during World Autism Month.

Described as an innovative, immersive and hands on training resource, it has been developed to give non-autistic people an experience of the sensory processing difficulties faced by people on the autism spectrum.

The Northern Trust worked in partnership with local Councils and the Northern Area Autism Forum to deliver the training.

Jayne Colville, Public Health Autism Co-ordinator, said: “We were delighted to join with our partners to bring the bus to the Northern Trust area to create further understanding and acceptance of autism.

“This will help us to better support the autistic individuals and families that we work with, and provide services for.

“The bus gave some insight in to the challenges faced by autistic individuals, and while we know that each person each different, it has proven to be a real success in fostering greater understanding which is beneficial to everyone.”

The bus, facilitated by Training2Care, travelled from Ballymena to Cookstown and Ballymoney before finishing off in Antrim and Newtownabbey.

A spokesperson for Training2Care added: “Learning through experience has always been one of the best ways to understand something, putting people into the shoes of those they care for.

“Our experiential training courses, like the Autism Reality Experience, do just that. We can only offer an insight into some of the sensory processing difficulties that people might face, however, that insight is invaluable as it highlights how things we all take for granted can be a real struggle for others.

“We have had an amazing time working with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust and its partners, allowing them to see what changes they can make to deliver an even higher level of care, and understand how small changes can make a huge difference.”

5th May 2023