Autism-friendly supermarkets: the first in Italy is in Monza. Free from distracting lights and loud noises.

Specially trained staff to manage communication and customer retention in the store, no distracting lights or loud noises, a path with signage to explain the shelves: a replicable model of an inclusive supermarket that promotes the independence of people with autism spectrum disorders.

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first autism-friendly supermarket

The first autism-friendly supermarket in Italy opened in Monza on September 10th , at the Coop grocery store on Via Marsala . A truly inclusive supermarket, it encourages independence and mobility for people with autism.

READ ALSO: In Rome, taxis are supporting people with autism. They can move around safely and independently.

FIRST AUTISM-FRIENDLY SUPERMARKET

Starting, for example, with many small measures in the design of the store: lower lighting, no loud sounds, specially trained staff with specific knowledge of autism spectrum disorders, images that explain what's in each aisle, and priority checkouts. 

In traditional supermarkets, it's difficult to find a welcoming environment for those, like people with autism, who are hypersensitive to certain stimuli—colors, lights, or sounds—or who require a certain type of routine and simplicity, even in images, often used as a learning aid for daily tasks. The images in the Via Marsala store will be a fundamental support for the independent movement of those with autism who want to shop with complete peace of mind. Special graphic signage, designed by Neshat Asgari, an Iranian architect from the Alla3 Onlus association , which brings together mothers and fathers of autistic children, will be available.

Based on the rules of use and criteria of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) , the company created explanatory signs for each aisle, which were then submitted to expert neuropsychomotor therapists and an association of autistic adults. Furthermore, customers will be provided with a map with signage at the entrance, and all employees of the new Monza store have attended a course taught by psychologists and psychotherapists specializing in autism. The aim is to provide employees with the tools to recognize the characteristics of the condition and to promote communication and retention in the store, and, by extension, improve the quality of daily life for people with autism and their families. In reality, the measures to be adopted can be very simple and easily replicated in other stores, such as eliminating the "beep" at the checkout.

READ MORE: Michele won his motorbike challenge despite autism and became a champion (photo)

AUTISM-FRIENDLY SUPERMARKET IN MONZA

The autism-friendly supermarket was created in collaboration with the non-profit organizations Alla3 and Pizzaut, with the aim of making the world a more child-friendly place and demonstrating that diversity is synonymous with enrichment. The president of PizzAut , a restaurant run exclusively by autistic children, which has reinvented itself as a traveling food truck due to the coronavirus, explains: "Normality must be inclusive, it's a question of civilization," said Nico Acampora, founder of PizzAut and father of an autistic son. "We will have experienced a small revolution when there is no longer any need for Coop or PizzAut." The difficulties faced by an autistic child in a store can be truly unbearable, and Acampora himself recalls an episode from his life with his son: "Once we went to a store, there was a narrow fitting room and the neon lights were flickering. Leo had a fit and started yelling, and in the end the clerk asked us to leave because we were disturbing the customers... Now Coop employees have been trained to deal with the situation. It's a question of civility, not inclusion."

In fact, Coop doesn't intend to limit the experiment to just one store. Alfredo De Bellis, vice president of Coop Lombardia, clarified this in a statement to SkyTg24: "We are the first supermarket in Italy to do something like this, and we hope to be copied by other supermarket chains. We will extend this model to all other stores in Lombardy." 

Interestingly, the collaboration between Coop and the PizzAut Association began after a mishap in the fall of 2019: all the solidarity panettone baked for last Christmas were stolen from the restaurant's kitchen. Coop then stepped in to purchase all the stolen panettone, thus beginning a partnership dedicated to inclusion.

(Featured image from Consumers and Responsibility)

The autism-friendly supermarket project is a candidate for the 2020 Non Sprecare Award. To submit your projects, follow the instructions here.

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