Table 2.

Final categories and themes from verbatim responses.

Themes	Sub-themes	Example quotes
Stopped and Questioned		‘Went to use a payphone and they stopped me […] They stopped me and asked me what I was doing.’ ‘Sat there and answered questions when asked.’ ‘Questioning me and me asking them questions.’ ‘I simply answered all the questions they had.’
Feelings	Anxiety Unsafe Worry Fear Wrong/Bad	‘Made me nervous and anxious.’ ‘I don’t feel safe and feel as if I’m going to be judged because of the way I act.’ ‘On some occasions, I felt it could go wrong quickly.’ ‘I felt worried about it happening again.’ ‘I actually fear the government and authority even if I’m not doing anything wrong.’ ‘I felt bad about having a bad record and being fined.’ ‘They asserted I had done something wrong.’
Understanding	Limited	‘Not really […] at the time […] I didn’t understand the danger I was in.’ ‘No. Often there are a lot of grey areas.’ ‘He was talking too quickly for me to understand what was happening.’ [continued] ‘No. Because they kept me inside to keep me safe.’
Perspectives, Attitudes and Beliefs	Positive Negative	‘It really helped.’ ‘They did not use discretion.’ ‘There’s not enough education in emergency services and transport security […] not kind on autistics.’ ‘[…] so many on the spectrum feel lonely and isolated from the general population.’ ‘Made to feel like I did something wrong.’

Note. Example quotes are displayed in random order. Not all responses or quotes are included. Examples quotes are used to demonstrate the variety of answers obtained.