Member Article

intu Eldon Square and intu Metrocentre launch monthly Quiet Hours to raise autism awareness

intu Eldon Square and intu Metrocentre are partnering with the National Autistic Society to launch Quiet Hours in centre giving shoppers with autism a break from the usual overload of ‘too much information’.

The first Quiet Hour has been scheduled to coincide with World Autism Awareness Week and will be taking place on Tuesday 27 March at 10am at both centres; going forward the Quiet Hours will run at 10am on the first Tuesday of every month, starting on 3 April.

All participating retailers, restaurants and leisure operators have committed to reducing the noise of in store music and tannoy announcements, dimming their lighting wherever possible and sharing information about autism with employees to increase their understanding of autism and how sensory differences can impact on a shopping experience.

Staff at intu shopping centres already receive training to provide autism-aware customer service and intu Eldon Square and intu Metrocentre have specially-designed alert cards and wristbands to heighten awareness of autism.

Autism-friendly shopping centre guides, developed in local partnership with The Percy Hedley Foundation, are available to pick up from customer service desks and can be downloaded from the centre’s websites. The guides help shoppers to plan and prepare a visit by showing where the quiet and noisy areas are in centre, as well as the best times to visit the centres to avoid excess disturbance and crowds.

The Quiet Hour is the latest initiative in intu’s ongoing mission to raise awareness of autism and make the shopping centres more autism-friendly. In a previous campaign, visitors were given the chance to try a virtual reality experience created by the National Autistic Society, showing that an autistic person can experience sensory overload by being in a busy, loud environment such as a shopping centre.

Clare Cannon, community manager for intu north east, said:

“We want to put a smile on the face of everyone who visits an intu shopping centre and this means training our staff, supporting our customers and working with brands in the centres as well as organisations like the National Autistic Society to provide a welcoming and accessible experience for all.

“We hope that launching the Quiet Hour at intu Eldon Square and intu Metrocentre will create a better shopping environment for autistic customers and their families.”

A survey by The National Autistic Society suggests that 64% of autistic people avoid going to the shops, and 28% have been asked to leave a public place for reasons associated with their autism.

More than 1 in 100 people are on the autism spectrum which means that someone sees, hears and feels the world in a different, often more intense way to other people. Autistic people often find social situations difficult and struggle to filter out the sounds, smells, sights and information they experience which means they feel overwhelmed by ‘too much information’ when out in public.

Mark Lever, Chief Executive at the National Autistic Society, said:

“We are delighted to team up with intu to launch their Quiet Hours. Like anyone, people on the autism spectrum and their families want the opportunity to go to the shops and access services. But many find the often busy, loud and unpredictable environment overwhelming. In fact, our recent survey revealed 64% of autistic people avoid going to the shops because of their autism.

“Even the smallest changes can make the biggest difference for autistic people - intu has pioneered autism-friendly shopping and we are honoured to continue our work with them.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Suhaine Baptie .