Reflecting Sensory needs

How NHS England (NHSE) is being helped to accommodate the requirements of people with sensory needs as they decarbonise their lighting to reduce their carbon footprint.

Due to the growing global climate crisis, the NHSE has made a clear commitment to reduce the environmental impact of its services by upgrading its lighting to energy efficient LED technology.

However, this new lighting has been identified as being frequently distressing in hospital settings for some people with sensory processing differences, such as, autism, neurodivergent and neurodegenerative conditions.

Gemma Williams, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Brighton, has collaborated with an interdisciplinary team to help the NHSE consider the impact of this group when upgrading its lighting.

Working with the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi), Buro Happold Lighting and Inclusive Design teams, Gemma and colleagues have produced a set of autism-informed technical guidelines for sensoryfriendly LED lighting in healthcare settings.

The guidance has been published online1 for comment and consultation and is being shared with mental health hospitals and facilities. It will also be linked to the new British Standards Institute fast-tracked standard PAS 6463, Design for the mind – Neurodiversity and the built environment – Guide due out Spring 2022. The team is also seeking to get the guidance included as an addendum in the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers Lighting for Healthcare Premises (LG02/19) document that informs lighting installations in healthcare settings, and working with colleagues on the University College London Light and Lighting MSc2 to consider future research and design implications.

“I’ve enjoyed witnessing how beautifully productive interdisciplinary collaboration can be when it’s centred around a shared passion - in this case, improving the wellbeing of autistic people in healthcare settings. It’s exciting and moving to think about the influence this might have.”

Dr Gemma L Williams

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre of Resilience for Social Justice, University of Brighton