+ Autism and British Airways

British Airways (BA), to its credit, has officially recognised autism and is now partnering, with Learning Rose, a charity specialising in ways to make travel easier for customers with the problem, to travel safety and without trauma.

Autism is essentially a neurodevelopmental condition of variable severity with lifelong effects.  It can be recognized from early childhood, chiefly characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behaviour.  One effect, highlighted in the national media, is a refusal to attend school.  It is also linked to a fear of flying and disruptive boarding problems with aircraft.

BA is the first UK airline to be awarded the renowned Autism Friendly Award by the National Autistic Society.

Through the Learning Rose partnership, BA is the lead UK airline in producing a Visual Guide to Flying. The guide is endorsed by the National Autistic Society and is designed to help customers prepare for their trip and make them feel as comfortable as possible during their journey.

In addition to the Visual Guide, the partnership also includes colleague training and support and bespoke colleague consultation sessions to ensure the airline’s staff have help on hand to always ensure best practice.

Learning Rose was founded by Rebecca Taylor, whose son has autism, mitigated echolalia and sensory modulation dysfunction. Rebecca previously worked at BA as cabin crew, before founding Learning Rose to help others gain a better understanding of autism through designing support materials to enhance the lives of those with autism and other disabilities.  “I know from both my experience working as cabin crew and from travelling with my son that flying can sometimes be overwhelming for people with autism, so I am delighted to be working with BA to help ease any travel anxieties that people with autism may face.”

BA was the first UK carrier to embed British Sign Language (BSL) in its customer engagement centres by partnering with Sign Live and most recently, it started working with Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People to further enhance the accessibility support for its customers and the first to formally recognise the sunflower lanyard scheme, partnering with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.

Customers also have the option to add any requirements to their booking in advance of travelling through the 'Manage My Booking' tool on the BA website and there are dedicated check-in areas at Heathrow Airport for those requiring additional assistance. The airline provides a dedicated team of accessibility experts to assist with customer enquiries and reached in the UK on 0800 408 1100 Monday–Saturday 08:00–18:00.

www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/disability-assistance/assistance-available

www.autism.org.uk

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READERS' COMMENT

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Danny Small, Middlesex

Whilst British Airways is, quite rightly hounded, for its lack of communication with its passengers, some of the work done by the airline is truly to its credit. Unescorted children were always looked after and I am pleased see this has been extended to autism, not a visible disability, but a serious problem.