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The Beacon Centre supports The National Autistic Society’s Autism Hour

We are proud to be a supporter of The National Autistic Society’s Autism Hour.
Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. There are approximately 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK. Many autistic people and their families say they avoid going to the shops, often because of bright lights, loud noises and a lack of understanding of autism from both fellow customers and staff.

In October 2019 we joined over 7000 other shops and businesses around the country who spent 60 minutes creating an autism-friendly shopping experience. To help make shopping more accessible for autistic people and their families by making simple changes like dimming lights, reducing background noise, and making sure our staff and customers know more about autism.

What happened in the Centre during our Autism Hour?

During Autism Hour we:

  • Dim the lights where possible
  • Turn down music and other noise
  • Share information with staff and the public about autism
  • Improve our autistic customers shopping experience

To find out more about autism visit: https://www.autism.org.uk/ or to find out more about social stories for autism, read the enclosed article written by a writer from The Autism Parenting Magazine https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/social-stories-for-autistic-children/

Thank you for your support of this important initiative and helping to create a world that works for autistic people.