Inverness retailer to support autism hour initiative

DEBENHAMS' Inverness store is joining branches across the country to create a more autism-friendly environment for its shoppers today by taking part in the National Autistic Society's Autism Hour initiative.

Between 11am and noon, Debenhams will take a few simple steps to make shopping more comfortable for people affected by autism, such as turning down music and tannoy announcements and dimming bright lights. The stores will also be sharing information about autism with staff and customers.

National Autistic Society surveys suggest that 64 per cent of autistic people avoid shops while 28 per cent of autistic people have been asked to leave a public place for reasons associated with their autism.

The charity's head of campaigns, Tom Purser, 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 because of our campaigns, we know shops and businesses want to be involved, they are ready to make the world a more autism friendly place. A big thank you to Debenhams for helping to lead this change by getting involved.”

Angela Morrison, Debenhams’ technology and supply chain director, said: “We are delighted to do our bit to support this worthy cause across all of our UK and Irish stores. Where possible at 11am, Debenhams will be turning down music and reducing background noise and tannoy announcements. We will also be running an education programme for our store colleagues. It is important to us to make sure that all our customers feel welcomed and are able to browse, shop and visit our cafés in comfort.”

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