Making meetings inclusive for autistic people
By Zara Smith.
Autistic individuals can bring an amazing set of skills and abilities to the workplace. These include attention to detail, the ability to intensively focus on areas of interest, logical thinking that enables them to follow detailed processes accurately and extraordinary memory recollection of certain facts and events.
If you have autistic individuals within your team, you need to ensure that your workplace is doing all it can to ensure that your team can positively engage and fulfil their potential. In this blog we will consider some ways that you can make sure your team meetings are inclusive and accessible as possible.
It is important to remember that everyone is different, and as such we should ask each person what they need to make a meeting work for them and act on this feedback. Let people know that the meeting is inclusive and that their individual needs are supported. Importantly, there are some simple steps that we can take to support everyone.
Prior to the meeting, we should share a clear agenda that will help people prepare and understand what is going to be discussed. It is also useful to share details of those who will be attending the meeting with an explanation of their role. Good practice includes sharing photos of the attendees, so that people can assign a face to the names being shared. Where there are documents and papers that need to be read prior to the meeting, make sure that they are sent to participants in good time – at least a week in advance. This allows time to read them, process the contents and consider any questions or queries they may have. Documents should be written in an accessible manner, avoiding acronyms and terms that can be easily misunderstood. Don’t forget to share clear directions to the meeting, along with timings, information about parking, and site accessibility.
If you are providing refreshments as part of the meeting it is important to gain information about any dietary requirements beforehand, as well as information about any sensory challenges individuals may face. Remember that some autistic people have sensory sensitivities, particularly to strong smelling foods, so avoid these where you can.
Where possible, try to arrange a quiet space that people can go to for some quiet time and reflection if necessary. If this is something that you can offer, make sure people know about the space prior to the meeting, preferably with some photos of the space. Try to use as large a meeting room as possible to avoid it feeling full and busy. It is also better to have natural light rather than artificial light.
During the meeting, allow people to choose where they want to sit. If the meeting participants are not known to each other, names badges can be helpful. Keep the meeting as short as possible, keep on track with the agenda and make sure only one person talks at a time. It can be helpful to define the rules of the meeting at the beginning, explaining how someone can indicate that they have something to share, and what will happen if the conversation goes off track.
For those that are uncomfortable speaking in front of groups, it can use useful to have post-it notes and pens available to allow individuals to write down their thoughts to share later. Avoid putting people on the spot, calling them out and asking their opinion or thoughts directly. For those that have recorded their ideas on post-it notes, get them to simply hand these over to the meeting chair to share or give them the opportunity to email their thoughts and ideas privately after the meeting.
Finally, avoid icebreakers! Not only do they put people on the spot, they are not predictable and many people find these extremely difficult.
About the author:
Zara Smith; Parent Carer Lead for Lincolnshire Virtual Autism Hub.
I am a parent to an autistic adult daughter, and throughout my career, this has inspired me to work to with autistic individuals to support them to fulfil their potential and empowering them to be able to make informed choices and decisions.
For many years, this was in the early years education sector, where I managed a small group of early years settings. As part of this role, I was also the SENCO (Special Education Needs Co-ordinator) for these settings and was responsible for leading their provision for children with additional needs. To support staff, I have written and delivered training to on a wide range of topics such as Autism, Effective Communication, and Inclusion.
Being part of the Virtual Autism Hub allows me to share and discuss the challenges autistic people face which I believe can really help to give perspective, support reflection and result in different thoughts and ideas being considered.
