BBC recognised with Autism Access Award
Hannah Khalil
Digital Content Producer, About The BBC Blog
BBC staff receive the National Autistic Society’s Autism Access Award
Staff at BBC North have been presented with the National Autistic Society’s Autism Access Award - a first for a UK broadcaster. The recognition came after the introduction of a range of measures to make it easier for people with autism to visit and work at the BBC base in Salford.
Initiatives including two interactive films on the BBC Shows and Tours website, preparing would-be visitors to BBC buildings at MediaCityUK; Autism Awareness Training for all tour guides, reception staff and security guards; and a pilot work experience scheme for people with ‘neurodiverse’ conditions, were key in securing the award.
Mark Lever, Chief Executive of the National Autistic Society presents the award to Ian Haythornthwaite, BBC Director of Finance and project sponsor
These initiatives are part of a wider project on neurodiversity at the BBC which will include an event celebrating the creative and analytical abilities possessed by people with conditions such as autism that can bring value to the BBC and its audiences, to be held at BBC Broadcasting House in London in May 2016.
- Find out more about the award on the National Autistic Society website
- Learn about the BBC's neurodiversity project
- Watch Employable Me on BBC Two which follows people with hidden neurological conditions, including autism
- Also BBC One drama The A-Word shows a family coming to terms with their son being diagnosed as autistic
