Public spaces can be overwhelming for autistic people. 64% of autistic people avoid going to the shops. This needs to change now.

But to do that we need your help. Your gift could educate businesses on the simple changes they can make to be more autism friendly.

Last year, the National Autistic Society engaged over 5,000 shops and services across the UK who committed to small changes that make a big impact - like reducing noise and dimming lights to be more autism friendly.

Such simple changes make a huge difference to people like Indie Andy:

"Shopping for me can be tricky. Mainly due to shops being overcrowded. I find some shops play really loud music and bright lights which does overwhelm me to the point where I have to prepare myself to venture to the shops."

Autism Hour can also be the start of bigger changes. Crucially, we know that businesses that get involved in Autism Hour make long term changes, like The Entertainer who have introduced a regular quiet hour across all their stores.

We want to make it easier for businesses to be autism-friendly and to learn about just how positive these changes can be for autistic people and their families.

Can you help us build a friendlier world for autistic people?

Together we can make real change happen.