Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Rainbows are natural occurrences which happen when there is sunshine and rain at the same time. An arc of multi-coloured light forms when light strikes the water droplets.
A rainbow symbol is often used as a sign of hope, the beauty after the storm, a pot of gold and good fortune at the rainbow’s end. Since the lockdowns started in March 2020, colourful images of rainbows have appeared in windows across the globe.
Rainbows and Autism
The rainbow symbol is often associated with Autism. Autism is a colourful phenomenon with a variety of symptoms which, just like a rainbow’s colours, come together to create something beautiful.
It’s a beautiful notion that all individuals with autism are different and cannot be mirrored by simply one colour and the rainbow symbolises the idea of autism as a “spectrum.” Individuals with autism are unique and have a variety of strengths and challenges, and it’s impossible to classify them under a simple diagnosis. Instead, autism is a spectrum of abilities and challenges. The range of colours inside the rainbow represents the scope of abilities and diagnoses on the autism spectrum – highlighting the variety of abilities and challenges each face.
Although the rainbow is still associated with the autistic spectrum, recently there has been discussion that the rainbow colours associated with the autism spectrum might not be consistent with the sensory preferences of most autistic individuals. The colour blue, often associated with calmness and acceptance, might be more appropriate in a world that can sometimes be very loud and challenging for autistic people.
On World Autism Awareness Day, Autism Speaks encourages everyone to wear blue or use blue lights in their home or office. Whole buildings or cities sometimes install blue lights to shine at night. The campaign is called Light It Up Blue, and it’s designed to raise awareness of the disorder.
Other rainbow symbolism
With its diverse colours coming together into one to create one magnificent whole; as well as Autism, the rainbow is also a symbol of gender equality and adopted by LGBTQ pride since 1978.
With the recent sad news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II some took comfort in the fact that rainbows appeared as the Queen gave a final farewell as she peacefully passed away to the other side.
What the rainbow means to PJL Healthcare Ltd
The rainbow symbolism demonstrates diversity, equality and hope for all, it is a symbol that we at PJL Healthcare Ltd adopted to use in our logo which was originally drawn by one of our young people as part of a competition when Mayfield Children’s Home was opened in 2006. The rainbow stripes were then added to the PJL logo in 2018.
As well as the symbolism of hope and acceptance, rainbows occur when the sun appears when it’s raining. We are here to help our children and young people make sense of their emotions and give them the tools to look for the rainbow when the rain starts to fall.
