To celebrate World Autism Awareness Day and raise public awareness of autism, we are launching a short-film titled ‘The Journey’.

‘The Journey,’ depicts the journey to a football match from the perspective of Jack, an autistic child.  The short-film provides an immersive experience as Jack and his family prepare for and journey to a football match, with all its accompanying sights, sounds and other sensory challenges.

Based on real life experiences, and in consultation with autistic people and their families, the short-film aims to portray how a simple journey for some, can be challenging for an autistic person.  It also underlines the individual nature of autism and Jack’s own experience, noting how ‘everyone’s journey is different.’

‘The Journey’ will launch with a dedicated webpage that will share the stories of the individuals involved in the production of the short-film.  We are calling on autistic individuals and their families to share their stories and experiences of travelling to and attending events throughout Autism Awareness Month. These stories will be shared through our social media channels, as well as on ‘The Journey’ webpage.

Commenting on the film, our Brand Manager said: “’The Journey’ highlights how a popular activity like attending a football match can be challenging for an autistic person. Through this film we hope to raise awareness and understanding of autism by highlighting how Jack and his family prepare for, and manage with the challenges of a journey to a match. These include bright lights, noises and large crowds, which can be overwhelming for an autistic person.

“’The Journey’ is part of our Autism Awareness Month campaign #theautismjourney where we hope to share as many stories as we can from autistic individuals and their families.”

Watch ‘The Journey’ and read our stories at:  www.scottishautism.org/thejourney