We are very proud of how our voice leads to change. Here are some examples of the projects we have worked on and the change we are delivering.
Aubin app: making travel easier
ATLAS wants travel and public transport to be more inclusive. We want young people with additional needs to travel confidently to school, work and social activities.
We worked with Aubin to test a travel app designed for neurodivergent young people in Surrey. The app prioritises supportive routes over speed.
ATLAS members tested the app for 3 days. We then shared feedback in a focus group. This helped Aubin make updates and improvements.
The group gave the app their seal of approval. We want to promote it to other young people.
Read about the Aubin app trial
“Helping shape Aubin was empowering. It will improve journeys and help many travel with confidence.”
Emily, ATLAS member
“Local Offer”
ATLAS members advocate for accessible information that helps young people to understand the support and opportunities available to them in Surrey. The Local Offer is Surreys space for all things additional needs and disabilities information. ATLAS have been working with the Local Offer team to re-design the young people’s pages and create a set of ‘guiding design principles’ to make sure they’re informative, engaging, accessible and organised around the lives of young people.
You can visit the Local Offer Young people’s pages here to find out what support is available to young people in Surrey. Welcome to our Young People’s section! - Surrey County Council .
The Power of Language
ATLAS uses the term Additional Needs and Disabilities instead of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The group didn’t like the term “special” and felt it had negative associations.
ATLAS is very passionate about language. We believe words matter — especially when talking about disability.
ATLAS created a preferred terminology guide to help professionals understand how language affects young people. It also encourages asking young people how they want to describe themselves. You can read the preferred terminology guide.
We also ran a campaign to change the term “disabled toilet” to “accessible toilet”. This felt more inclusive. Now, Surrey County Council uses “accessible toilet” in all its buildings
Read about the Power of Language project
Behind the Mask
ATLAS worked with the All-Age Autism Strategy to create a workshop called Behind the Mask. It helps teachers learn about masking. Masking is a term used to describe when neurodivergent young people may hide parts of their identity or behaviour to fit in, avoid judgment, or feel safer in social situations.
I really enjoyed it because I got to explain what it’s like to mask every day. People have different needs and shouldn’t be treated the same.
Jess, an ATLAS member, said:
Over 300 teachers and school leaders joined the training. They learned directly from young people about what it’s like to mask and how we can best support young people experiencing masking.
People who have lived through something are the real experts. That’s why it’s important to give young people chances to lead training and workshops — so the information is accurate, and others learn what support truly helps.
Empower Sunflower
ATLAS recognised that there isn’t a lot of awareness and understanding about sunflower lanyards. These are used by people when they are in public spaces to communicate that they have a hidden disability.
ATLAS wanted to launch an anti-stigma campaign to promote sunflower lanyards. This shared clear information and raised public awareness about additional needs and disabilities in the community.
As part of the campaign, ATLAS made three powerful videos. These were even shared on the official Sunflower Lanyard social media!
ATLAS Autism:
ATLAS Autism was a participation group in collaboration with Surreys All Age Autism Strategy (AAAS) that ran from 2024 – 2026. The All Age Autism Strategy is a 5-year partnership between: autistic children, young people, and adults, family carers and professionals with the aim to work together to improve the lives of autistic people living in Surrey. ATLAS members co-produced the strategy priorities back in 2020 and since then have been actively involved through giving feedback on their lived experiences, collaborating on projects and co-chairing the Children and Young Peoples Autism Partnership Board. Key pieces of work included:
- Supporting with the Reasonable Adjustments Guidance for Supporting children with eating and drinking differences in education settings - Surrey County Council
- The Pathological Demand Avoidance position statement - Surrey County Council
- Co-designing Pathological Demand Avoidance Training for teachers and Support staff.
- Created Community Safety Resources | Autism Friendly Surrey
ATLAS Autism members also worked as part of the AAAS Schools Autism Friendly Review Project which evaluates educational settings using classroom observations and focus groups with autistic young people, providing schools with suggestions to improve the experiences of their autistic students.
Collaborate with us
Are you a professional, organisation, or service looking to improve how you engage with young people with additional needs or disabilities? ATLAS welcomes collaboration!
Whether you’re developing a new policy, seeking feedback, or want to co-design services, we’d love to work with you. Get in touch with the team at atlas@surreycc.gov.uk to explore how we can support inclusive, youth-led change.