Sodexo staff gain powerful insight into autism through immersive experience
ECL’s Inclusive Employment Service teamed up with Sodexo Colchester recently to host an experience day to educate staff from its Merville Barracks and Colchester Hospital sites on what it is like to be autistic.
The aim of the day was to foster empathy and equip Sodexo staff with the knowledge to better support autistic and/or neurodivergent colleagues in the workplace.
The main feature of the day was the Autism Reality Experience (ARE) bus which enables neurotypical individuals to step into the neurodiverse world. The whole-body, immersive approach engages multiple senses to reflect the lived realities of autism.
Designed to simulate how sensory processing affects the brain, eyes, ears, and body, ARE provides participants with a powerful insight into challenges such as hypersensitivity, sensory overwhelm, proprioceptive and vestibular differences, communication difficulties, and cognitive flexibility issues.
Participants experience emotions including anxiety, frustration, fear, and vulnerability, deepening their understanding of how everyday settings can impact autistic individuals.
The ARE bus was followed by inclusivity workshops run by ECL’s Inclusive Employment Service, who provided training on what reasonable adjustments can be made in the workplace to support autistic colleagues.
The workshops allowed Sodexo staff to use the insight gained during the bus experience to hold positive discussions about how they can better support people with autism and neurodiverse conditions on their teams.
Emma Young, ECL Employer Engagement Lead said: “Sodexo Colchester PFI is a great example of an inclusive employer and it has been fantastic to be able to provide their staff with this deeper understanding of autism and neurodiversity. I’d like to say a huge thank you to the Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board for making it possible for us to deliver this experience.”
I thought that my work environment of a busy kitchen could be overwhelming for someone with autism. After the workshop I feel confident I could adapt it to support an autistic person on my team.
Kristy Wallace, Executive Head Chef, Sodexo Colchester PFI
An advocate of supported employment, Sodexo Colchester provides facilities management services for The British Army’s Colchester Garrison at Merville Barracks, as well as Colchester Hospital.
Sodexo Colchester PFI works closely with ECL, employing people through its Inclusive Employment Service and hosting a successful supported internship programme at Merville Barracks.
Laura Moorcroft, Regional Support Manager at Sodexo Colchester PFI organised the experience day. She said: “When I was approached to host the autism reality experience, I jumped at the chance. It was really important to me to give our colleagues at Merville Barracks and Colchester Hospital the experience of what it feels like to have autism to enable them to better support colleagues in the workplace with autism and neurodivergent conditions.
I did the bus myself and I found it to be a surreal experience. I found it overwhelming; it definitely gave me a better understanding of how our autistic colleagues can feel. I know that everyone that has taken part in this training has gone away with some really useful information to help them better support their co-workers.”
When I was approached to host the autism reality experience, I jumped at the chance. It was really important to me to provide this experience so staff can better support colleagues with autism.
Laura Moorcroft, Regional Support Manager at Sodexo Colchester PFI
Some of the Sodexo staff that participated in the day had personal experience of autism and gained some useful insights to help them better support their autistic loved ones as well as their colleagues.
Among those was Sodexo Project Manager Adam Fitton whose son is autistic. Adam said: “I wanted to do this because my son is autistic and I have autistic traits. I thought the experience would help me not only better understand my son, but also myself and why we do things the way we do. It has reinforced to me what communications methods work well for my son and why. It has also helped me understand why certain situations cause him to have a meltdown and what I can do to help him cope better.”
Kristy Wallace, Sodexo Colchester PFI's Executive Head Chef has a nephew who is autistic and non-verbal. She wanted to gain a better understanding of how to communicate with him better and also learn how she could support future members of staff with autism. She said: “I didn’t know a lot about autism and so I wanted to get some key learnings to help me interact with my nephew better. It was eye opening and a really worthwhile thing to do.
I thought that my work environment of a busy, noisy kitchen could be very overwhelming for someone with autism and/ or neurodivergent conditions. After the workshop I feel more confident that I could adapt the work area and tasks to support someone with autism in my team.”
I wanted to do the experience because my son is autistic. It has helped me understand why certain situations cause him to have a meltdown and what I can do to help him cope better.
Adam Fitton, Sodexo Colchester PFI Project Manager
The Autism Reality Experience was made possible by the Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board as part of their employer engagement initiative which aims to increase the number of employers who are open to recruiting autistic people as well as to equip employees to better support their autistic team members.
Find out more about the Autism Reality Experience
If you are a local business that is interested in becoming an inclusive employer please contact ECL by emailing inclusive.employment@essexcares.org
Sodexo staff gain powerful insight into autism
