Interview (Autistic Adult - Travel experience)
Participant: Female, 18–24
What does independence mean to you?
“Having the support to be able to develop and grow in independence.”
This is a really useful definition because it challenges the idea that independence means doing everything alone. For this participant, support can actually enable independence.
This is important for my project because a design intervention should not remove support, but potentially make it easier for autistic adults to access the right support while still having control over their own journey.
Can you tell me about an international trip you have taken? Were there any parts of planning or travelling that you found particularly difficult?
“I find airports very overwhelming - large crowds, lots of noise, large areas, confusion in where to go and finding it stressful & over-stimulating regarding the overall process. I find it intimidating asking staff for support due to previous occasions where I felt like I was treated like I was stupid for asking simple questions. I find it overwhelming also being sat so close to strangers at times.”
This response identifies several barriers happening at the same time: crowds, noise, scale, navigation, sensory overload, social interaction and physical proximity.
The participant’s experience of being made to feel “stupid” when asking for help is particularly important. It suggests that staff behaviour can make an already stressful environment more difficult and may discourage autistic travellers from asking for support in the future.
This strongly connects to the idea that airport accessibility is a combination of both environmental design and human understanding.