Shopping can appear a simple task, however, it can be challenging for people with Autism or similar disabilities. The National Autistic Society, a UK-based charity have been campaigning for retail businesses to include an Autism Hour. As the name suggests: it takes place for an hour during opening times, at least once a week. We will expand on how Autism Hour provides more inclusive, positive customer experiences and even helps your retail business.
What is Autism?
Autism is a spectrum condition that affects everyone differently but primarily how we process information and therefore how we perceive the world we live in. That information being everything our brain can process through sight, sound, touch, smell, or taste. It all processes collectively rather than individually and can become overloading if too much is happening and lead to withdrawing. The United Kingdom has approximately 1.2 million+ people with Autism or similar disabilities and will continue to increase. It’s the 4th country with the highest autism rate in children, not far behind Canada, Japan, and the United States.
To further describe what we experience from sensory overload in retail environments, National Autistic Society promote this video:
Warning – This video contains sounds which may be upsetting for some viewers.
How Retail is Inaccessible
April is an Awareness Month for Autism that primarily campaigns within the first week. We invited Staffordshire University students to participate in discussions of how retail experiences can also be inaccessible for adults too. Autism or similar conditions affect everyone differently, so it was interesting to discover that they share similar views:
“As someone with ADHD, I find shopping of any sort difficult. Sensory overloads from too much visual/audio make it harder for me to make a decision and it will stress me. It can take 30 minutes or longer to decide from a crisp flavour to what clothes to buy.”
“I can find shopping very overwhelming, especially when there are a lot of people and when someone touches me unexpectedly. I’m very much aware of my personal space and it is physically painful to have this broken for me.”
“I have Asperger’s Syndrome and shopping tends to be a stressful rush for me because it’s hard to anticipate what to expect while I’m there. Some places could be quiet with plenty of space while others are loud, vibrant, and crowded. So I prefer to get in and out as quick as I can but always forget something I came in for in the rush.”
“Lights can be very overwhelming for me, most shops/supermarkets I’ve been to have very bright, glaring lights that I struggle to cope with. I know stores like our local Sainsbury’s mainly use low-hanging spotlights instead of the main lights. This actually makes it worst because it’s harder to browse products without being dazzled by them.”
How Do Autism Hours Help?
Less really is more, bright lights are dimmed and music/tannoy volume is reduced or has minimal usage. Autism Hour usually takes place during less busy times, so crowds are less likely to be an issue. By condensing the retail experience this way, it helps create a more positive and accessible experience for us.
The discussions also include praise of Autism Hour and comments of how it can be even better:
“An issue I have is that the lights often have no gradual fade when Autism Hour ends. They turn to full brightness or the main lights back on quite suddenly without warning, which can cause sensory overload.”
“I think they’re great, but they should have them more often weekly. Once a week isn’t really ideal because it could be on a day others can’t make it.”
“To be honest, I’ll only shop in supermarkets or shops that do Autism Hour when possible. Those kind of places show they care for their customers by doing that, so I feel comfortable spending money there.”
So there you have it, including Autism Hour in your retail business can include customers normally uncomfortable in retail environments. In a recent post we discuss the spending power of customers with disabilities that you may also have interest in.
