UK supermarket breaks the barriers for autistic people

Categories:

• Solidarity

by Marc Prats

Posted on October 31, 2018

Autistic people can sometimes suffer from a big amount of stress, which can be caused by things as simple as the position of certain objects, the way people approach them, or even the place a building is located in.

The UK supermarket chain Morrisons is going to make it easier for them to shop around, by making the shops less stressful. Their plan, called ‘Quieter Hour’, will be implemented in all stores across the country from 9 to 10 am on Saturdays.

The measures taken will include dimming the lights, reducing the volume of the radio or turning it off completely, they will reduce the number of speaker announcements, reduce the volume of checkout beeps in the cash registers, etc.

However, you may think, how are they going to make it quieter when there is going to be other people around who may not know about it? They explain that they will make sure a visible poster is located outside every shop before this special time, in order for every customer to know to respect the quiet environment safe for autistic shoppers.

It is definitely great to hear that such big chains are developing strategies to adapt their stores for as many people as possible, no matter what condition you suffer from.

We hope to hear that other chains and shops are doing the same soon, as it will definitely empower autistic people to be more relaxed in such situations.

What do you think? How would you change a supermarket to make it more accessible to everyone?

Check out the Morrisons website for more information.