Toys R Us Offers Quiet Shopping Hours for Kids With Autism
Toys R Us just made a big change that will help parents of children on the autism spectrum shop with less stress this holiday season. Stores across the United Kington will host a quiet shopping hour free of in-store distractions on November 6, according to the Telegraph.
The plan is to turn off the in-store music and announcements, dim the fluorescent lights, put in autism-friendly signs and mark specific quiet zones throughout the store. These factors were chosen specifically because they can make autistic children and adults feel overwhelmed or even cause them physical pain, Daniel Cadey, autism access manager for the National Autistic Society in the United Kingdom told the Telegraph.
These adjustments are all an effort to make sure children on the autism spectrum and their family members can have a comfortable and enjoyable shopping experience, regardless of their disabilities, Toys R Us representatives told the Telegraph. "For many autistic people and their families a simple trip to the shops, which should be an enjoyable experience, can be fraught with difficulty," Cadey says.
We're hoping Toys R Us locations in the United States will adopt this idea too. Parents have petitioned for sensory-friendly aisles in Target and ShopRite with local success, but children on the autism spectrum and their parents deserve a place to shop comfortably year-round, no matter where they live. After all, Toys R Us is a place where a kid can be a kid, right?
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