'I've had to fight for everything I needed' says Ullapool autistic teenager as she pushes for change
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An Ullapool teenager on the autistic spectrum is paving the way for change, so that others like her "don't have to fight for everything they need" like she had to.
Ullapool High School student Nuala MacDonald (16) from Achiltibuie, has spent a lot of her life fighting for the support that she needed as someone with autism, and now she is advocating for small adaptations to make Ullapool an autistic–friendly village.
Nuala was inspired by a trip to the world's first autism–friendly town of Channel-Port aux Basques, in Newfoundland, Canada.
When Nuala visited Channel–Port aux Basques, she was inspired by all the simple changes they had made to make life easier for autistic people.
READ ALSO: Dingwall Tesco introduces sensory borrow bags to help people living with autism on store visits
She said: "In the hotel we were staying at, they had a sensory room that the guests or town locals could use. The local fire department, churches and schools all had a box of sensory stuff; in the boxes they had weighted blankets, noise cancelling headphones, and colouring books too. The restaurants had pictures on all of the menus as well. It was a really good trip, it was so inspirational."
Jeni Pacitti, from autism charity Highland One Stop Shop, explained the benefits of these resources. Jeni, who is autistic herself said: “For many autistic people, going to places outside of the home is quite stressful, so if they know they can go to a venue and there will be things that will help such as noise cancelling earphones, it makes it so much more accommodating for autistic people, and they are more likely to go out.
"For me, a sensory overload is when everything starts becoming very loud, very painful, and very intense. Everything becomes very heightened, your body is on high alert, but at the same time it's also trying to hide away and shrink, so these conflicting feelings inside can make you feel very unwell and nauseous. A sensory overload make it very challenging to start listening to people.
Nuala went on: "Going to Canada, and seeing how easy it was to make everybody feel more at home, more accepted, it seemed like an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. It was so easy to do, and I think it could be easily done here in Ullapool as well."
Nuala has now teamed up with three other locals, who have autistic children, and together they are pushing for change in Ullapool.
The group, titled Supporting and Empowering Autistic Strengths (SEAS), has recently been chosen for the Tesco Community Grants scheme, where Ullapool Tesco shoppers can now vote for SEAS until the end of June, where the group could win up to £1500 to fund changes and resources to make Ullapool autism–friendly.
Explaining some of the struggles she has faced, Nuala said: "I’ve felt that for a while now, autism has been generally misunderstood, and I’ve had to fight for everything that I needed.
"I’ve always found it hard going into businesses with loud music or bright lights, it’s always been an issue for me. Some ideas we had to solve that could be having a couple of hours in the day – or even in the week – where music was turned down or turned off, and lighting dimmed. We also had the idea of noise maps, which is a map showing where the loudest areas are in a cafe or shop, and areas to stay away from if you don’t like a lot of noise.
"We also want to make the local primary school and high school more aware of the situation, and the things they could do to help. I did a talk for the primary school a couple years ago for some of the staff, and we hope to do this again, offering a few group sessions that teachers could attend, as well as staff from local businesses.
"It would make it so much easier for me to be just out in the village, and know how much easier it would be to go into restaurants without experiencing sensory overload, and not having to feel stressed everywhere I go. I hope that I can do something so that other people don’t have to fight for everything they needed like I did, so that they can be accepted for who they are.
One of the other locals working with Nuala in SEAS to make Ullapool autism–friendly is Fiona Sorley, whose son Andrew (10) is autistic. Fiona said: "I wanted to join the group to try and be an advocate for my son Andrew, and I also thought it would be nice to support Nuala. It's been quite a comfort to me to meet other people locally who have autism, or care for someone with autism.
"There are a lot of good, welcoming people in Ullapool, and if they were given a few more tools, knowledge and confidence, they could really make a difference. Being inclusive is something we should all work towards.
"I think we’ve got a good community, and we can make a good example here, where other communities can follow as well. Andrew is now getting on so well at school, just from a few tiny changes that have really helped him. I would like Andrew to grow up in a village where he feels welcomed, and is as equal as anybody else."
