Doncaster business looks to help schools meet needs of autistic children

Doncaster-based RISE Adaptations has joined forces with accessibility consultants Access For All UK to offer free training to help schools meet the needs of autistic pupils.

Ben Hickey, who launched RISE Adaptations in October, said the goal was to ensure that children with autism aren’t treated as “square pegs in a round hole” at mainstream schools.

The coronavirus outbreak has caused disruption to many people’s lives and that can be particularly acute for children with autism.

“There’s a lot of challenges around the world today,” Mr Hickey told The Yorkshire Post. “It has a big impact on autistic children within primary and secondary schools.”

Prior to setting up RISE Adaptations, Mr Hickey was at a similar organisation and has been in the sector for around ten years.

He set up his own business as he wanted to move forward in his own direction.

Despite launching in the middle of a pandemic, Mr Hickey says he had no concerns because of his experience in the sector.

“There was no apprehension because of the longevity I’ve had in the sector and the contacts and the organisations I deal with,” Mr Hickey said. “It’s something that I was confident enough to launch because of my past experience.”

He wants the business to become a leader of accessibility and training.

“We want to be delivering accessibility for everyone,” Mr Hickey said.

The school training sessions are part of bigger plans with Access For All UK, which will see the companies work together on wider provision and support for schools around autism and sensory needs.

Jane Cooper, co-founder of Access For All UK, which is based in Derbyshire, added: “People think of accessibility and assume it must be really expensive, but most of it is about tiny little adjustments that make a massive difference.”

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