With extensive experience serving individuals with autism, we understand the challenges that this population faces in community settings: chaotic spaces, overwhelming sights and sounds, unclear expectations, and unpredictable interactions. These obstacles often make staying home the preferred option. But with thoughtful planning and the right supports, these barriers can be overcome.
Welcoming Spaces exists to make community environments more accessible, enjoyable, and engaging for people with autism. We collaborate with families and community-based organizations—like museums, libraries, restaurants, and recreational facilities—to provide autism-specific training, assess sensory needs, design supportive spaces, and create tools that promote ease and enjoyment in public settings. Through pilot visits, ongoing feedback, and marketing support, we help showcase the benefits of these autism-friendly spaces.
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimating that 1 in 36 school-aged children has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), we aim to make public spaces truly welcoming for all. Just as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures public accessibility for individuals with disabilities, Welcoming Spaces strives to create predictability and comfort for neurodivergent individuals, unlocking the potential for inclusive, community-based venues everywhere.
Our passionate team is committed to helping organizations and communities create positive, inclusive spaces for individuals who may struggle in traditional environments. Together, we can reimagine work, school, and public spaces to accommodate everyone, making inclusion the norm rather than the exception.
Businesses and institutions that prioritize inclusivity stand to gain significantly. By creating autism-friendly spaces, they signal their commitment to diversity, demonstrating that they value every member of the community. This approach attracts a broader, loyal customer base and strengthens brand reputation, as companies with inclusive practices report higher customer engagement and retention. Additionally, these adjustments make spaces more welcoming for families, caregivers, and advocates, fostering community ties and establishing businesses as pillars of social good. To achieve this this, Welcoming Spaces offers:
Autism-Specific Training
-
Seminars and workshops for employees
-
Customizable training modules for different industries
-
Online training options for remote clients
-
Certificates of completion (and potential CEUs offered in the future)
Equipping staff with the knowledge and skills to create positive experiences for individuals with ASD. Autism Education & Training services equip community organizations, schools, and workplaces with the knowledge and tools to create inclusive environments for individuals with ASD. Through customized workshops and hands-on training, we focus on increasing awareness, understanding neurodiversity, and implementing practical strategies that support communication, behavior, and sensory needs. Together, we build spaces where everyone can thrive.
Sensory Needs Assessments
-
On-site assessments available nationwide
-
Detailed reports with recommendations for sensory-friendly improvements
-
Follow-up evaluations to measure the effectiveness of implementations
-
Identifying potential sources of sensory overload and offering ways to mitigate them. We provide tailored supports (behavioral, visual, sensory, communicative, and social) that address the unique needs of individuals with ASD. Our services include visual aids for clearer communication, sensory adjustments to reduce overstimulation, and behavioral strategies to encourage positive interactions. These customized supports help create environments where neurodiverse individuals can feel understood and be engaged.
Supportive Space Design
-
Tailored design and implementation
-
Collaboration with clients to meet specific needs
-
Use of cutting-edge sensory integration technology
-
Subscription model for maintenance, updates, and new tools
Providing tailored recommendations to create calming, engaging spaces for neurodivergent individuals. Environmental Adjustment services focus on transforming physical spaces to better support individuals with ASD. By modifying sensory elements, visual cues, and communication aids, we create environments that reduce stress and promote comfort. These adjustments help foster engagement and accessibility, ensuring that every space is welcoming and supportive of neurodiverse individuals.
Customized Tools and Resources
-
Personalized visual supports to assist with instruction, organization, and expression
-
Social narratives, communication boards, visual schedules, and more
-
Subscription model for maintenance, updates, and new tools
-
Customized toolkits for individuals, families, and caregivers
-
Portable sensory and communication supports (sensory tools, noise canceling devices, timers, visual schedules, etc.)
-
Subscription model for maintenance, updates, and new tools
-
Design and produce autism awareness and educational materials
-
Develop strategies for promoting autism-friendly environments, events, supports, and accommodations
-
Create website and social media campaigns and content
Developing materials to help autistic individuals confidently navigate public spaces
If the world were built for me
by Autistrhi
If the world were built for me there would be no start times or end times, there would just be the work that needed doing and the space in which to do it.
If the world were built for me no one would ever assume poor eye contact meant low trustworthiness.
If the world were built for me there would be a time each day when we all stood outside alone, to soak it all in in silence.
If the world were built for me everyone could see the barbed edges of crowds and understand the pain.
If the world were built for me everyone would consider how their actions affect those around them.
If the world were built for me my fingernails and hair would never need cutting.
If the world were built for me we would all work based on our strengths and passions.
If the world were built for me people would know how to empathize with those who think differently to them.
If the world were built for me labels would be banned from clothes and socks would be made with the seams on the outside.
If the world were built for me stopping to notice something beautiful would be the least weird thing anyone could ever do.
If the world were built for me we would all be a little kinder and more interested in learning about our differences.
If the world were built for me direct language would be seen as clear, and never as rude or blunt.
If the world were built for me people would run on time and do as they promised.
But the world isn’t built for me. It’s built so that I am the one who has to adapt. I am the one who has to learn unnatural speech patterns and arrange my face correctly. I am the one who must quash my fear as an unexpected change uproots reality all around me. I am the one who must bend and shape myself, and hold that shape forever for fear of being found out.
This world can work in ways that mean we can all be exactly who we are. I hope we find a way.
PUBLIC SPACES
Providing training, design strategies, visual aids, and sensory kits to help ensure that everyone can engage in lifelong learning and cultural experiences at:
- Libraries
- Museums
TRAVEL & LEISURE
Providing training, support for customer service personnel, and incorporating autism-friendly designs such as quiet rooms, sensory-friendly areas, and clear signage ensures that individuals with autism and their families can enjoy stress-less experiences at:
- Hotels
- Resorts
- Airports
GOVERNMENT
Creating partnerships to make a bigger impact, ensuring that neuro-inclusive practices and designs become a standard in public spaces and services to promote accessibility for all:
-
State government
-
Local government
LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES
Promoting a more safer and supportive environment for all residents and visitors. Staff trained to respond to the unique needs of neurodiverse individuals.Minimizing the chance of greater escalation during emergency situations through training public service staff:
-
Police
-
Fire
-
EMS
-
Parks & Rec
-
Transportation
-
Housing
BUSINESSES & CORPORATIONS
Working with business of all sizes and corporations focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accesibility (DEIA) initiatives, delivering customized training to:
-
All levels of the organization
-
Customer Service
-
Human Resources
SCHOOLS & UNIVERSITIES
Equipping educators with tools to better support students' unique learning needs. Training that will focus on strategies to improve communication, socialization, sensory and behavior for students with autism in the classroom:
-
Faculty
-
Teachers
-
Administrators
-
Support Staff
Autism Education & TRAINING
Autism Education & Training services equip community organizations, schools, and workplaces with the knowledge and tools to create inclusive environments for individuals with ASD. Through customized workshops and hands-on training, we focus on increasing awareness, understanding neurodiversity, and implementing practical strategies that support communication, behavior, and sensory needs. Together, we build spaces where everyone can thrive.
Environmental Adjustments
Environmental Adjustment services focus on transforming physical spaces to better support individuals with ASD. By modifying sensory elements, visual cues, and communication aids, we create environments that reduce stress and promote comfort. These adjustments help foster engagement and accessibility, ensuring that every space is welcoming and supportive of neurodiverse individuals.
Behavorial supports
We provide tailored supports (behavorial, visual, sensory, communicative, and social) that address the unique needs of individuals with ASD. Our services include visual aids for clearer communication, sensory adjustments to reduce overstimulation, and behavioral strategies to encourage positive interactions. These customized supports help create environments where neurodiverse individuals can feel understood and be engaged.
1
Autism Sensitivity Training
-
Seminars and workshops for employees
-
Customizable training modules for different industries
-
Online training options for remote clients
-
synchronous and asynchronous
-
-
Certificates of completion (and potential CEUs offered in the future)
3
Custom Sensory Room Design
-
Tailored design and implementation
-
Collaboration with clients to meet specific needs
-
Use of cutting-edge sensory integration technology
-
Subscription model for maintenance, updates, and new tools
5
Grab-and-Go Community Toolkits
-
Customized toolkits for individuals, families, and caregivers
-
Portable sensory and communication supports (e.g., sensory tools, noise canceling devices, timers, visual schedules, etc.)
-
Subscription model for maintenance, updates, and new tools
2
Space Evaluation & Sensory Recommendations
-
On-site assessments available nationwide
-
Detailed reports with recommendations for sensory-friendly improvements
-
Follow-up evaluations to measure the effectiveness of implementations
4
Visual, Social & Behavioral Support Tools
-
Personalized visual supports to assist with instruction, organization, and expression
-
Social narratives, communication boards, visual schedules, and more
-
Subscription model for maintenance, updates, and new tools
6
Marketing & Communication Material Development
-
Design and produce autism awareness and educational materials
-
Develop strategies for promoting autism-friendly environments, events, supports, and accommodations
-
Create website and social media campaigns and content