Creating better places for people with neurodiversity

16 Oct

When I first heard about the quiet spaces at Stadium Australia it was on a podcast I listen to regularly and there was a massive furor about who should be able to access these spaces and how you prove that you need them. My first thought was , “Well, hallelujah! It’s about time there were spaces available to watch shows and sport away from all the noise that goes on outside", quickly followed by "I wonder if I would qualify to use one...”.

I identify as sensory sensitive, but have no diagnosed neurodiversity. I am also a mother of two neurodiverse children and stepmum to sensory sensitive teen. Suffice to say, every day involves adjusting and parenting (and adulting!) has its challenges when caring for all the needs while still functioning in the world as a certified "type-a coper".

How neurodiversity can play out

For as long as I can remember, I’ve needed to limit my exposure to crowds when I am exhausted, or I shut down, feel extremely overwhelmed and need to escape. I get distracted in noisy bars and restaurants and hear clanging noises and cutlery as scratching down a chalkboard, and am unable to hear what the person in front of me is saying. Bright lights, and especially flashing lights make me feel panicky. Those air fresheners in public toilets are way too much to process.

My eldest son has combined type ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and taking him to public spaces when he was little required an awareness of space and surrounds that I’d never had to consider before. He can be easily distracted, has no boundaries of place, no limits in space, and is drawn to the lightest and brightest. He seems to thrive with more action, more noise and more people.

My youngest son, who has multiple sensory sensitivities, has been fearful of hand-dryers in bathrooms for as long as I can remember. When he was younger, he would be stressed even with the idea of going into a public bathroom in case someone put the hand-dryer on while he was in there. We’ve always needed to get the paper towels for him instead.

These are just some personal examples of how people with neurodivergence and information processing differences can respond to places in different ways to neurotypical people.

Neurodiversity in Australia

Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways - there is no one "right" way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.

Neurodiversity includes people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, dementia and a range of sensory and information processing differences. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people in Australia are neurodivergent in some form, however it is important to note that neurodivergence is not easily seen and recognised, particularly in women, and people with neurodiversity can feel isolated, different and alone.

Side note: I don’t think most people I interact with would even realise that I struggle with the sensory overstimulation that I do (and women are generally excellent at masking!).

Designing for neurodiversity

As urban planners and urban designers, we all make sure that the built environment is accessible to people with physical disabilities, but only in recent years have we begun to pay the same level of attention to other groups of vulnerable people, including women, LGBTQIA+, different age groups.

Thinking about how we design, not just buildings and inside spaces, but cities, streets and public gathering points for our broader and neurodiverse population is a fabulous next step in planning and designing inclusively.

Many of us may have heard of Woolworths quiet hour, where, at over 260 stores across Australia on Tuesdays between 10.30am and 11.30am, stores lower lights, turn down the music and turn off oven buzzers to provide a quieter and less stimulating environment for those with anxiety and sensory processing difficulties. Coles also provide a similar experience, with similar parameters as well as low scanner volume, no trolley collections, additional staff members and no PA announcements.

The University of Tasmania has released design guidelines for inclusive play spaces that are based in a deep literature review of the needs of children with ASD, and intend to provide inclusive design strategies for all children across a broader spectrum of diversity.

Some of the design ideas are:

creating structure (where large expanses can be overwhelming)
introducing visual screening (to help focus and reduce information inputs)
creating gradual transitions (like sloping ceilings and stairs and transition spaces between inside and outside areas)
creating retreat spaces (for opportunities for separation from peers while remaining safe)
activities designed to boost motor skills
visual signage rather than words
provision of a variety of sensory experiences (to balance hyper and hypo sensitivity to sensory input), and more.

These types of initiatives are amazing example of consideration of different needs, and show an appreciation for the broad diversity of sensitivities and how they can impact how we use spaces. The principles above can be applied more broadly into the design of public spaces and encourage anyone reading to think these principles through.

Thinking more broadly about how we design and plan cities

There are so many situations we come across in our every day where most people do not consider how a neurodiverse person may experience them.

Take for example the use of public transport, which many of us do every day. Travelling in cities like Sydney and Melbourne can be stressful at the best of times. For those with neurodiversity, it can be enough to make your brain feel completely overwhelmed before you’ve even reached the office. Navigating timetables, crowded trains, footpaths where people are moving at different speeds, people on phones, buskers playing music… and you get the picture. These are just some of the things about a commute into work that could bother people with neurodiversity. It would be great to think about and plan for these situations in a more inclusive way.

Considering the experiences of all people, and being inclusive in the way we plan and design is essential. We need to not just plan for ourselves and our own preferences, but think about all people, and include them in the design process from the start. If we don’t design inclusively, we are designing for a narrow portion of the population and further entrenching our inherent biases and the status quo.

Planning and designing better places includes designing for neurodiversity, and is an important step to a more inclusive and considerate world, and I hope I can contribute as a strategic social planner in creating places where neurodiverse people feel welcomed into the public sphere in a way that isn’t overwhelming and feels safe.