Back again with a couple more reviews and this time it's the first of the three hotels featured on the Glasgow Autism map. First up is the Ibis on 220 West Regent St. - I'll be honest and say that to begin with I was a wee bit confused as to why/how hotels would be on the list so headed along in a much nosier mood than usual and wondering how it would all work. I shouldn't have worried as the staff - even tho' they were really busy - had plenty of time to sit down and talk me thru' what they had planned as well as what they already do. It's then that it hit me, hotels are all about hospitality and making the customers stay more enjoyable so obviously it's a good idea to be aware of peoples needs. I can be quite thick at times. The staff member (whose name escapes me - sorry as you were great) explained how that the hotel already caters to/for Autistic customers, giving examples of how they work to make one particular visitors stay more enj...

I'm coming!  (To misquote Terrence Stamp in The Limey). Not forgotten the other venues, just been a tad busy....Updates soon!

As I mentioned in an earlier post (or later if you're reading this first) got waylaid by some top chat in George Square on Tuesday at an event held as part of Glasgow City Council's Autism Awareness Month so thought I'd give a quick overview on the event/information available there as well as a quick review of  the much talked about Autism bus. Which as I discovered was not full of sweets. Or Lego. George Square? No actually it's quite groovy. Held over 2 days (April 16 & 17) the event featured representatives from a myriad of agencies and venues with everyone from Autism Network Scotland to The King's Theatre via the St Enoch Centre and House of Fraser to Strathclyde Police and everyone you can think of inbetween. At first sight the windswept marquee looked a wee bit grim but as folk began to visit and it became busier you couldn't help but notice the enthusiasm for not just raising awareness but learning more about the issue from those in...

Busy day today, was planning to take in all the hotels in town that are listed on the Autism Awareness map as well as check out the Autism bus and St Mungo museum but ended up chatting (and drinking coffee) in Geek-Aboo whilst discussing Autism friendly shopping (you can thank me later) and then gabbing away to a nice lady from Autism Network Scotland which meant I only got to go to St Mungo in the end. And how was it? Well read on but first a quick info dump. Named after Glasgow's patron saint (which surprisingly isn't Rab C Nesbit), the museum is built on the site of the medieval Bishops’ Castle with galleries of objects and art exploring the importance of religion in peoples’ lives across the world and throughout history. But did it pass the patented Ash Autism test? In the summertime when the weather is hot You can stretch right up and touch the sky....Whoops, wrong Mungo. Sorry. As with most museums there isn't really much you can do to ...

You wouldn't believe that it's Autism Awareness month if BBC Scotland's programme blurb is anything to go by. "As the number of young people diagnosed with autism rockets, more and more families are desperate for help. Children whose autism is often mistaken for bad beh aviour speak out about what it is like to be judged, and their parents share heartbreaking stories of how hard it is to get the support they need." Over sensationalizing the issue much?  I mean these families stories are important enough without the crass use of such a clichéd sympathy evoking, 'disability porn' soundtrack. Oh and the title of this caring report?  No really, f*ck off.

Slightly off venue hopping topic but a friend of mine has asked about my seeming obsession with the colour blue across the blog so thought I'd explain. You'll probably all be disappointed to know that it's just because I find it a very calming colour, as do quite a few Autistic folk which probably explains the Autie frenzy surrounding Sonic The Hedgehog, Thomas The Tank Engine, The TARDIS, Rainbow Dash and Tron Legacy . Or is the last one just me? Just because. Saying that tho' personally I also love the colour red which is probably why I obsess over Dario Argento so much. Especially with the sound turned up. Whilst watching in a darkened room. Autism: The Movie. And for those of you who think it a bit odd that I would purposely expose myself to loud, colour stuff knowing full well at any moment I may burst into tears and start wobbling here's a wee secret. I use films as a way to control my whole sensory overload thang in a safe environ...

Referring back to my post about Buchanan Galleries (Gawd they're gonna end up sending bounty hunters after me) and whether shops/venues should have individual Autism Aware awards rather than blanket ones it struck me that quite a few shops are actually very Autism aware/friendly already tho' bizarrely they seem to have been missed out/ignored when the big badge was given out. For those of you worried that I've abandoned my quest to visit all the Autism Aware venues never fear, I'll be back reviewing them over the next few weeks when we're back to being kid-free and I've finished up some pesky work I have to do but until then I've decided to chuck together a hasty list of those places that deserve recognition but aren't (for some reason) on the Glasgow list. Feel free to PM with any we've missed (or aren't comic/anime/toy based obviously - you'll see a pattern forming) and I'll endeavor to update this post in the hope of gettin...

Got a two in one special today (tho' in reality the visits were a few days apart - yup it's already gone all timey wimey) but there's a really good (and fairly interesting) reason for that. A very blue-hued Riverside Museum, not to be confused with Riverside - the TV series broadcast on BBC2 that featured musicians, bands, actors, fashion designers, artists and comedians including Alice Cooper, Steve Strange, Clare Grogan, Paul Weller, Martin Fry, The Cure, The Smiths, New Order and Pauline Black. Phew, glad that's sorted. First up the relocated and custom built Riverside Museum , once known as the Transport Museum and housed at Kelvinhall the Riverside has been open for 7 years now and has over 3,000 objects on display there's everything from skateboards to steam trains, paintings to prams and cars to a Star Wars Stormtrooper. Unfortunately Balamory babe Edie McCredie's bus is no longer on display. A travesty I'm sure you'll agree. ...

A quick trot thru' town took me along to The St. Enoch Centre , a huge shopping hub located in the city centre adjacent to St Enoch subway station. But you probably already knew that.   The St. Enoch Centre - Named after Russell Enoch AKA William Russell,  famed for playing Ian Chesterton in Doctor Who. Probably.  Now I've had dealings with the St. Enoch Centre previously in my real life job when we were planning to showcase the refugee art instillation I created in one of their empty shop fronts and found them incredibly easy to deal with plus for a large shopping centre as this St. Enoch's has a surprisingly non-oppressive atmosphere most probably helped by the fact that it has many plants breaking up the shops and coloured flags draped across the ceiling that seem to cushion the noise. If you're interested the company that were commissioned to install the fabric work talk about it here . You're welcome. Anyway back to the review/Write-up/rand...

As strange as it seems there is actually a pub on the list! What am I saying, it's Glasgow so of course there's gonna be a pub on the list and that pub is Malones Irish Bar on Sauchiehall Lane. Unaccustomed as I am to partaking in ale I summoned up all my courage and jumped in, grabbing the nearest member of staff (luckily he had a beard) and began my excited questioning. Autistic drinking? - count me in! The one constant  that came thru' throughout the day was the amount of staff that had not only undergone Autism Awareness training but had seemed to enjoy it (and find it useful), the staff member went on to explain that they would be offering a quiet space in the upstairs bar every week from Monday 2nd April on the following days and times: Monday - 12pm - 3pm Tuesday - 12pm - 3pm Wednesday - 12pm - 3pm Yup....actual proper times, not 9 in the morning. And busy ones too. Malones have thought this thru. Add to that the bar mentions Autistic ad...

I must admit that it felt a bit weird going to the Glasgow Film Theatre (or the GFT as it's known) to ask them about their plans for Autism Awareness month because as far as venues go it has to be one of the most all round disability friendly and inclusive places in the city, if not the country. Autism friendly, closed caption, Take Two family events, dedicated disability friendly showings and genuinely brilliant and knowledgeable staff (amongst other things) all add up to make the GFT a perfect example of how a venue can tackle the issues of inclusion and get it right. And the fact that it's a small cinema with charity status and a majority of volunteer staff makes it all the more remarkable. The GFT: Cinema Paradiso. Our podlings began their cinema education at the GFT when they were tiny so it does feel as tho' it's always been an Autistic friendly venue as far as we're concerned so if you're taking those first steps toward Autistic movie-going...

Next up on my big adventure was one of Glasgow's major shopping centres -  Buchanan Galleries on Buchanan Street (obviously) which, if I'm honest, was a wee bit daunting seeing as I find the ambiance/temperature/lighting/general massiveness of/in the place very overwhelming at times and only the week before had to leave early due to this*. But needs must as they say so I bravely soldiered on. You can thank me later. No really you can. The first thing you notice (as an Autistic person) when you enter Buchanan Galleries is that it's huge and noisy in that way that almost becomes treacle in your head, the lighting gets rid of any shadows and it's almost immediately disorientating. And if this makes an adult feel like this then imagine being a child. Upon finding the information desk (again manned by helpful and accommodating staff members) I first asked about their plans for Autism Awareness Month before mentioning the general ambiance and how it could be al...

Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art is located in the centre of Glasgow, just off Buchanan Street and is probably most famous for having a statue of The Duke of Wellington outside it with a traffic cone on his head. Who says Glaswegians aren't cultured? See Glasgow? See a big stone man with a cone for a hat. As far as venues go GoMA is a tricky one, being as it is quite small (relatively speaking) and walking around it is a bit like wandering around a brightly lit rabbit warren as designed by Stanley Kubrick. And if/when the main gallery is closed (as it was yesterday) it gets worse seeing as your only choices then are to either turn right and walk into a wall or turn left into a huge throng of people eager to go into the lift. Or the cafe. Or the library. Which is in the cafe. Confused? You will be. Put it this way, I've had work exhibited there and I still get overwhelmed going in. The calmest bit of GoMA....Outside by the railings. Be...

First up for review/grilling is Scotland's Centre for Design and Architecture (it must be true it says so on their site), The Lighthouse which if their PR is correct acts as "a beacon for the creative industries in Scotland and promotes design and architecture through a vibrant programme of exhibitions and events." But how will it fair on the Autie-ometer? The venue is lovely and (surprisingly) spacious with a nice calm atmosphere - tho' it was 10:30 on a Saturday morning so that might change - simple and easily read signage is a boon (tho' it'd be a bloody poor show if all their information was shoddily printed on A4 sheets in comic sans wouldn't it?) as is the lovely blue lighting on the escalators. There are 6 levels featuring a variety of different exhibitions (with level 3 given over to Charles Rennie Mackintosh (this was his first commission apparently which left me feeling a wee bit jealous as my first one was a nude drawing of Deb...

Always said that I'd never do an Autism based blog but heyho, my home town of Glasgow has decided to go all Autism-friendly even going as far as making a map of all the Spectrum-safe places in the city and awarding a rather spiffy Autism Aware badge ( designed by an autistic pupil no less ) to venues that are deemed worthy. Anyway with all this effort being put in I thought it'd be churlish if I didn't enter into the spirit of Autism Awareness Month myself so decided to drop in on random venues listed and ask them loads of questions regarding their Autism policies. But why would you do this I hear you cry? Reasons, I mysteriously reply. Oh go on then, it's because I have three Autistic children and am on 'ver Spectrum' (tho' not in Spectrum - the Captain Blue outfit was taken) myself. Good enough reasons I reckon. "SIG Colonel White! Spectrum is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people perceive the world and i...