Joey's love of music inspired the design of a space within a space

Annie Davies, mum to Joey, shares her personal story which led to the invention of Joey Pods.

My son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) in 2017. It was a big relief to have that official diagnosis after years of people telling me he was not Autistic; he was great at masking. By then, I had already done the research and put things in place at home to accommodate his needs, although he still struggled in school. The transition from primary to secondary this year was the hardest. He is now home schooled, and we are currently trying to get him a place at an SEN school.

Before and after diagnosis I felt quite isolated. I was worried Joey may be triggered by his surroundings; at weddings, shopping, play spaces to name a few. I was also studying BSc Architecture at the University of the West of England at the time. It was hard to manage but I became more determined to try and make the world more inclusive for people like Joey. Using my own lived experience of autism, I designed an autism centre for my final project. I decided to reach out to the local Autistic Community to find out what they needed in the way of social spaces in Bristol, but soon discovered I was not the only one who felt isolated. Many parents of autistic children told me how they struggle with activities within the city or in public spaces due to their children's sensory processing condition, worried that people will judge them when their child has a meltdown and that there’s a lack of available safe quiet spaces when needed.

We cannot redesign every building, but we can find solutions; spaces that can accommodate the needs of people with neurological conditions. The initial design for Joey Pods came from a UWE and Bristol Beacon exhibition I took part in, designing a solution for festivals, as Joey loves music, but when he went to Shambala, he found it too overwhelming. The idea was to create a pod that can hold up to five people standing, with live music from stages streamed in with an integrated light show, aiming to make festivals more inclusive. I had an overwhelmingly positive response from people, with many saying they were needed in schools, which looking at Joey’s situation, I knew it was something that he would have hugely benefitted him. Speaking to teachers and sensory designers, many told me that schools did not have the budget or space to cater for sensory rooms and if they did receive funding many would go into disrepair or go unused, due to budget cuts and staffing shortages.

The Joey Pod is a modular structure, that is affordable, easy to build, and is robust. We will be offering a consultation service to design the pod to meet the space and user requirements. Using a subscription service will ensure it is more affordable, maintained, and suitable for the space allocated. The pod will have additional elements that can be changed whenever required, lighting, seating, music, and headphones, all available through our website. We are currently working with two local engineer students, funded by UWE, who are helping us finalise the design, to launch in October 2022. We hope to launch it to public spaces in early 2023 and host our first mini festival field in late 2023. My hope for the product, is to create more awareness and conversations surrounding neurological conditions, helping people share their stories.

For further information: www.joeypods.com