Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous post about Google’s ADC, this week I’d like to talk about a recent trip I took to the Wayfinding Centre in Dublin.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the centre, it’s an innovative facility set up to make public transport more accessible for people with disabilities. The first of it’s kind, the centre empowers people with disabilities to navigate public transport by providing hands on training and experience in a safe indoor environment. Upon entering the centre, you walk into a real world replica of the Irish public transport experience including:

• Street lighting, traffic lights, signage and timetable boards
• Common transport noises such as pedestrian crossing sounds
• Hazards including pavements (with accessible textured paving slabs), bollards, benches, fencing, fake roads, and train platforms
• Replica cycle lanes, bus stops and pedestrian crossings
• Sample train and Luas carriages
• A double decker city bus and single level inter-city bus
• An Accessible taxi
• An Air France plane with replica airport security and boarding experience

In addition, the centre is also host to the living lab providing a high-tech innovation and research space where they perform user testing and conduct pilot projects, working closely with transport providers to make existing and future public transport more accessible for all users.

You can see a video from the launch of the centre in January 2024 below.

As previously discussed, navigating public transport can be quite an overwhelming experience for an autist. Everything is noisy and crowded and timetables can be confusing to decipher, especially when transport often does not stick to routine. The Wayfinding centre offers autists a unique opportunity to prepare themselves to access public transport to take some of the unknowns out of the equation. Autists can go to the centre and experience what it’s like to step onto public transport free from the sensory issues and pressure of the real world, allowing them to get used to the experience in a safe and supportive environment.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the centre is the experience of preparing for airport travel. Autists can visit the centre to get ready for their first trip to an airport and practice using scanners, putting luggage on carousels, and physically walking down the tunnel and on to a real plane where you can take your seat and comfortably adjust to the cabin experience.

I was really impressed by my visit and completely unaware such an innovative initiative was a mere few hours up the road. I would really recommend a visit if you’re around Dublin to experience the tour or access the facility in preparation for your public transport experience.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife