Retailers will make their premises more accessible to people with the condition this October.
Shops will turn down music and dim their lights this October in a bid to be more accessible to people with autism.
The National Autistic Society’s (NAS) Autism Hour 2019 runs from October 5-12 and will see retailers make a raft of changes to create a more autism-friendly experience.
This includes turning down environmental stimuli such as music and fluorescent lighting that can be overwhelming barriers for some people with the condition.
Staff will also be provided with information about autism so they can understand more about the condition.
Research for the NAS suggests that 64% of autistic people avoid the shops. More than one in every four (28%) of autistic people have been asked to leave a public place for reasons associated with their condition.
Tom Purser, the charity’s head of campaigns, said: “Autistic people represent a huge part of our society – around one in 100 people in the UK. They and their families want to have the opportunity to go to the shops, just like anyone else. But many find the crowds, noise and unpredictability of our high streets completely overwhelming and end up avoiding them altogether.
“With 38,000 Autism Hours completed over the past two years, we know shops and businesses want to be involved, they are ready to make the world a more autism friendly place.
“The National Autistic Society want a world which works for autistic people. With Autism Hour, we want to show retailers the small things they can do to help open up the high street for autistic people. Things like staff finding out a bit more about autism and making simple adjustments like turning down music or dimming the lights. It’s often the smallest change that makes the biggest difference.”
Since the campaign first ran in 2017, 16,000 shops and businesses have taken part and there have been over 38,000 hours with some stores committing to regular quiet hours all year long.
Thousands of shops and businesses across the UK are expected to take part in this year’s event. Further information can be found on the National Autistic Society’s website.
