Spectrum Holidays is a UK charity which works with holiday providers of static caravans, self-catering cottages and holiday homes, traditional lodges and glamping within the UK, to ensure the accommodation is suitable for people of any age with neurodiverse and sensory needs. Extras such as blackout blinds, bedrails and stair gates are all fitted in advance. Autism friendly glamping is promised by Leafyfields Glamping in Devon – the owners have their own experience of autism, so have tried and tested local attractions and can give you the low down. Pet therapy on site comes in the form of cats and miniature horses.
Purpose-built for wheelchair users, wide-beam canal boats can be hired for messing about on the Kennet and Avon Canal. The Bruce Trust has a fleet of four hire boats designed to give wheelchair users the opportunity to steer by using the tiller, and have lifts, hoists and specially equipped bathrooms.
The Hartlands in Shanklin, Isle of Wight, offers top notch self-catering accommodation for families with autism. The owners have thought of everything – there’s an indoor swimming pool, a sensory room, a cinema, IT room, games room as well as a gym and sauna. The guest log book is published online, with countless reviewers describing how their family has been able to relax for the first time in years.
The Thomas Centre is named after a young man who changed his family’s ideas about holidays, and led them to create a holiday park specifically for families with autism, epilepsy, tourettes or similar conditions. Self-catering accommodation is set in 25 acres near the Lincolnshire coast. The bungalows all have wheelchair access and wet rooms. There are a host of facilities on site so there is no pressure to go elsewhere – there’s an indoor heated pool which you can even book for private use, a play barn, sensory area, pedal go-karts and track.
