Kelvin Hall Autism Session: Review.

Popped along to the special Autism friendly morning at Kelvin Hall (in Glasgow, natch) at the start of the month so thought I'd pop a wee review together seeing as this was originally what this blog was for....pre-random rants obviously.

I was joined on my day out by the twin engines of destruction Amelia and Embeth who, being ultra-cool 18 year olds, skipped the Soft Play and Climbing sessions and headed straight to The National Library of Scotland for an hour or two of interactive history and - in Embeth's case - some chair (and character) based arts fun.

The first thing I noticed upon entering was that the staff actually seem aware that the session was going on and were really happy and enthusiastic to answer my questions which is always a good sign so with my arms full of info and leaflets we headed down to the library hub to see what was on offer.

The library itself was a lovely subdued environment (as libraries should be) and the staff were (again) really helpful - asking the girls about their (historical) interests and pointing them in the direction of video resources that might be of interest (in Amelia's case Mary Queen of Scots and 80s fashions, for Embeth shipbuilding and the 1900s) meaning I could leave the girls to indulge in some tech-type shenanigans whilst I did my nosy in the arts and craft session.

The arts session was great, staff (I forget names...sorry!) were brilliant not just with Embeth and the other folk attending but with me and my maximum Autistic questioning so kudos to them!

This may seem something that should be obvious but there have been loads of venues/sessions that have been let down by either staff nervousness or apathy when it comes to Autism, either thru' a lack of understanding/preparation or just thru sheer apathy so it's great to see staff getting involved and seeming to enjoy the challenge!

The easy going looseness of the sessions was a great thing too, meaning that attendees were comfortable enough to wander in and out plus the Lego sports hunt (where you had to find various Lego figures hidden around the venue) was great for the more inquisitive visitor and a great way of allowing those that like to map a venue a good excuse for a mooch around.

As a bonus point it was during our wander around that I got the extra treat of coming across a display featuring a Panasonic M10 video camera which frankly made my day as anyone who knows me is aware of my utter love for this brilliant bit of AV kit!

Suffice to say we'll be back for the next one, top marks for all involved!