April is Autism Acceptance Month, and Apple plans to mark the occasion in several ways, including a dedicated section in the App Store and retail field trips.

According to Steven Aquino, a journalist who covers accessibility topics, Apple will offer field trips to retail stores that will host music events designed to include children with disabilities.

Kids will be able to participate in the events using the Skoogmusic Skoog 2.0 Tactile Musical Interface, one of the many accessibility-oriented accessories Apple sells in its online store. Skoog is a tactile cube that lets children with disabilities control sound through touch.


Along with special Apple Store events, Apple has created an Autism Acceptance App Store section that includes dozens of important accessibility apps organized into sections like Apps for Every Day, Apps for Learning, Books, Podcasts, and iTunes U courses.

autismacceptanceappstore
Some of the apps included are Proloquo2Go, :prose, Keeble Accessible Keyboard, Assistive Express, TouchChat HD, RocketKeys, and more.

Accessibility has always been hugely important to Apple, and the company has aimed to make its devices accessible for everyone, with in-depth accessibility settings to meet a range of needs. Back in October, Apple launched a new Accessibility website that highlights accessibility features across all of its products.

Top Rated Comments

that be me Avatar
104 months ago
As an Apple fan with autism, I wonder if they'll have any events for adults. I think this is a great idea overall.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarHeadz Avatar
104 months ago
I love that Apple is so socially active. Some people say they should just stick to business, but I disagree.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brendu Avatar
104 months ago
Interesting they call it autism acceptance when I've always heard of it as autism awareness month. As a special education teacher I like "autism acceptance" as much as awareness. Good for Apple for spreading the word.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
harriska2 Avatar
104 months ago
There is an ignore option! Click on the user name then click on the ignore link. It works!

Apple has definitely helped my 21 year old son with autism. When we first got it in 2000, we didn't realize how beneficial it would become. Reading books and texts on the ipad is quicker with word lookups. You can have it read anything to you. He uses it to take pictures of the whiteboard, experiments, and record lectures. It ties to his $100 used iphone 5s with icloud so that he can maintain his calendar of homwork due, dental appointments and contact info. He emails and facetimes me. He emails his instructors with questions, something he never used to do. He has a macbook for heftier assigments but he claims the ipad is "an extension of my arm." His communication skills used to be non existent - even neglecting to ask to go out for dinner or telling us he was leaving. Now his communication is very regular because his devices work together and they are easy for him to use and learn. He uses a $10 iwireless plan and it works just fine. I have to say the apple devices have been worth every penny, especially the sturdy ipads that he has dropped on tile foors multiple times.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brendu Avatar
104 months ago
Oh please. You think the hardware is special or that its designed for these people. Wrong! There is zero difference between an iPad, Android Tablet, or Windows Surface. It just happened that the most software is available on Apple's stuff. But it's not exclusive. While the iPad is helping people....there is nothing special about the iPad that makes it anymore useful than competing platforms. There are PLENTY of classrooms and homes using software for non-Apple devices that is helping people just as much. The other tech companies just don't showcase that sort of thing as much as Apple. Apple wants to shove it's so called progressive values down your throat so you get that warm and fuzzy feeling when you spend $500 on a watch and $900 on a phone. Your crazy defense is proof of that. You are brainwashed into thinking the iPad is the only magical device that can help people. Well....you are wrong. And Apple makes these devices with accessibility options (very few of them) simply to increase it's sales. But hey, keep defending Apple and pushing it's progressive image....it helps Tim fill his Yacht with gas and Dr. Dre buy off the cops for all the woman he beats and drugs he probably buys.
Apple has accessibility features others don't have or only recently introduced. You make a ton of assumptions too. I never said only Apple makes devices that help people. If you really think Apple is such a horrible company for having progressive values, then go buy something else. I'm not politically liberal but im perfectly capable of recognizing the work that has been done to make it easier for people to live their lives. And yes, Apple has the absolute best mainstream hardware and software for accessibility needs. Also, would supporting google or miscosoft be any better for me? How would it be any different, lining their executives pockets with my money?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
page3 Avatar
104 months ago
As an aside, here in the UK Apple run a load of summer "code clubs". I'm sure they do the same (probably more) in the US. Anyway, last year we took our 8 year old (autistic) son to one. He'd never been to anything like it before, and we'd never thought of attempting to take him to something like this. He'd been experimenting with Xcode for a few months as he'd outgrown Swift Playgrounds. He was really keen, but socially anxious.

Apple were brilliant. I contacted the store in advance - one of the smallest in the UK. They sent photos and tshirt in advance so he could acclimatise. Over the three days nothing was too much trouble. He was lent noise-cancelling headphones and when a trigger caused a meltdown they allowed us to go "backstage" where it was quiet and he could calm down. We were made to feel welcome rather than a burden.

A year later I'm still grateful to the staff at the Southampton Apple Store.

Apple "gets" autism and I applaud their efforts.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Supports 8K Video Recording, Suggests Leaker [Updated]

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Update 7:25 pm: Based on comments from our forums, it appears the original Weibo post may have been mistranslated and "8K" actually refers to the high price of the device rather than 8K video recording capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro currently starts at 7,999 yuan in China. Our original article follows below. Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are capable of shooting 8K video, up...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...
iOS 18 4 Ambient Music Control Center

How to Use iOS 18.4's New Ambient Music Feature in Control Center

Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works. iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week. To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...