UK’s first nationwide ‘quiet hour’ for autistic shoppers

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ASPartOfMe
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02 Aug 2017, 1:43 am

https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/business/uks-first-nationwide-quiet-hour-for-autistic-shoppers-to-be-held-this-october/

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The UK’s first “quiet hour” is to be launched across multiple retailers nationwide to create a more autism-friendly shopping experience.

In a major boost to the National Autistic Society’s awareness campaign, shopping centre owner Intu has partnered with the charity to hold an autism-friendly hour across its 14 centres this October.

Intu will dim lighting and turn down music in shops and restaurants across its centres for 60 minutes on 2 October.


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BirdInFlight
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02 Aug 2017, 5:32 am

This is a great idea. I had hoped it was "all shops" but I guess that's too much to ask, lol -- I see it's only by this certain corporation for their own group of stores. But it's something.

I do wish more big companies/big chains would give their staff some training regarding autism.



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02 Aug 2017, 4:41 pm

If only they could remove the annoying smells.


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wrongcitizen
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02 Aug 2017, 4:50 pm

Not a good or bad idea, but they have good intentions. I think by leaving things as they are we will be given a chance to adapt to them, and by catering the world to our needs we will only become more negatively affected when new natural threats present themselves. There are noises, smells, sounds, and textures I CAN'T stand, but the feeling of control and security I get when I have lived through one of those negative experiences is greater than a society making things a certain way for me. Though just my opinions, the stores can do whatever they want within legal bounds I guess.



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02 Aug 2017, 8:34 pm

Yeah, I have to agree with wrongcitizen, on this one.....

OTOH, I would LOVE to visit a store, like this----but, OTOH, I have found that the more I shield myself from whatever, the more it bothers me, when I DO have to endure it; like, my apartment building is pretty quiet, but then, when there's noise, it either startles the crap out of me, or it makes me so angry, I could spit nails----so, NEITHER is a very good experience.

Also, because my dislike of spoiled-rotten brats, has grown by leaps-and-bounds, lately, this is just one more way, IMO, to raise kids who will, inevitably, feel entitled, as adults, and think that EVERYONE should cater to them.





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02 Aug 2017, 8:35 pm

Hey, that's my birthday! :D


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02 Aug 2017, 8:51 pm

I don't need it to be deathly quiet, but it would be nice if some stores would stop blasting their music at carnival-levels all the time. It does nothing to make me want to buy a car stereo if I can hear the subwoofers booming hip-hop outside in the parking lot, before I ever enter the store (Best Buy). And browsing is out of the question in an environment like that. I used to enjoy going out to shop and add movie discs to my collection, but now I buy them all online.

The roar of the air conditioning units and the ocean of crowd murmur is distracting enough, without adding loud music and squawking PA announcements on top of it.


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Sweetleaf
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02 Aug 2017, 10:55 pm

wrongcitizen wrote:
Not a good or bad idea, but they have good intentions. I think by leaving things as they are we will be given a chance to adapt to them, and by catering the world to our needs we will only become more negatively affected when new natural threats present themselves. There are noises, smells, sounds, and textures I CAN'T stand, but the feeling of control and security I get when I have lived through one of those negative experiences is greater than a society making things a certain way for me. Though just my opinions, the stores can do whatever they want within legal bounds I guess.


Well then again attempting to make shopping centers more relaxing might be good for everyone, not just people on the spectrum. I mean the things that give us sensory overload probably can certainly affect neurotypicals to, they just aren't as attuned to it.


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03 Aug 2017, 6:18 am

Sweetleaf makes a really, really great and valid point.

Perhaps these environments and the fever pitch at which they currently operate is something that could be called into question for everyone, not just people on the spectrum?

Even allistic/NT people probably don't really loooovvvvvvveee how noisy and chaotic some stores can be. They may be better than us at putting up with the environment but ultimately I think there's a case to be made that there is probably an insidiously harmful stress level being endured by everyone, not just us.

I'm NOT saying they should quiet all environments 24/7 in some compete control freak way.

What I AM saying is just that society in general never questions how bad an impact certain controllable factors about the things we all seem to be expected to just accept about modern may be having on EVERYONE, factors that society/corporate decision making/business itself created and doesn't have to make so forceful.

And by the way, I disagree with people here trying to say that anyone who supports the "quiet hour" simply wants the world to indulge them.

That's BS. It isn't too much to ask that people with a disability be considered even just a little. It's the mark of a civilized society and an evolving wisdom and awareness of difference.

It's laudable and acceptable and good that people with physical disabilities are finally being given ramp entrances and other accomodations (and that IS all a good thing) --------


-------- yet even neurodiverse people are judging and telling off other neurodiverse people for hoping that some accommodations can be given to people whose struggles to cope come from the brain and mental processes?

Hypocritical much?

Once again the same old prejudice, even from our own: Mental-based issues are told to put up and shut up.

Plus. . .it's ONE HOUR.

And the rest of the world and the environment all of us deal with still contains plenty of other challenges to make us "learn" how to tolerate things.

It's not like whole cities are doing 24 hour quiet time suddenly. ONE HOUR in one chain of stores could be very helpful to a struggling parent with four autistic youngsters.



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03 Aug 2017, 2:14 pm

This is a great idea. The others who posted here against have some good points, and I don't think I would advocate for it all the time because of those arguments, but it would be nice for those who need it to experience shopping with less sensory input, and for NTs and other, it would raise awareness (and also probably be a relief to be able to shop without all the extra input as well).