At Miramar Shopping Center we have developed a comprehensive action plan aimed at improving the experience of visitors with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families. This long-term commitment aligns with our strong purpose of creating an inclusive and accessible environment for all our visitors.
Keep reading to find out all the activities; some already launched and others to be developed during the year.
Support for Inclusive Sports: In collaboration with Fuensocial and the Fuengirola City Council, we have launched an inclusive sports program, unique in the region, designed especially for children with ASD. This program, which began last October, offers sports classes adapted to the specific needs of these children, promoting their development and well-being in an inclusive way.
Reinforcement of Accessibility: As part of our efforts to improve accessibility, we are going to install pictograms in all our toilets, including those for women, men, people with reduced mobility and children. This measure facilitates the understanding and autonomy of our visitors with ASD, using a visual communication method that is familiar to them in their daily lives.
Furthermore, we are going to launch ainstruction manual available on our website and accessible via QR code, intended for all stores in the center. This resource provides guidelines to offer better care to people with ASD and will be complemented with training sessions for our employees.
Extension of “Quiet Hour”: Responding to the needs of our visitors, we have extended “Quiet Hour” to every day, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. During this period, we reduce background music and lighting in common areas, creating a calmer and less sensory-stimulating environment.
Other services: To ensure a more comfortable visiting experience, we offeranti-noise helmets at our information point, both for children and adults. In addition, we have prioritized access for children with ASD inchildren’s events, ensuring that they do not have to wait in queues.
Free Transfer of the Toy Library: One of our most recent initiatives is the free transfer of our play center, Miramar Kids, to the Fuensocial Association. This allows them to carry out their activities with children in a safe and adapted environment whenever possible.
With these initiatives that support the TEA community, we seek to invite all our visitors and employees to be part of creating an inclusive environment.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO MERCHANTS TEA PROJECT
Below are a series of recommendations that you can carry out in your establishment and that help make the experience in your establishment as positive and fulfilling as possible for people with ASD.
The main characteristics of Autism are:
- Social communication: they may have difficulty maintaining conversations, communicating needs, expressing emotions, and understanding the communication, desires, and needs of other people. Furthermore, understanding symbolic language can be very complicated (e.g.: idioms, non-verbal language, etc.)
- Adaptive behavior: difficulty understanding changes in routines (e.g. a design change in the store, use of new technology, etc.), waiting management, sensory difficulties (excess or defect), very intense interests on a certain topic, etc.
Therefore, some simple recommendations that can help both children and adults to use your establishment in the optimal conditions for their needs:
- Quiet hour: by adhering to this initiative that we have already implemented in the Shopping Center every day from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., you help people with hearing hypersensitivity to enjoy shopping or using your facilities. Sensory overload affects many people with autism and reduces their inclusion in society, causing very intense discomfort. Moderate use of sounds and even smells can enhance your experience.
- Use of simple and clear language without symbolism or double meanings.
- Give instructions visually. Whenever you can, it is recommended that when the store or business has to give an unexpected indication to users, it should also be done visually (e.g.: closed box).
- Know and offer the shopping center services that promote active help, such as anti-noise helmets. This service can facilitate access to help in case of need.
- Sometimes people with autism may show echolalia (repetition of the language they hear) or stereotypia (repetitive movements: rocking, hand flapping, etc.) when they feel more nervous or excited about a particular aspect. We can offer help if necessary, but it should not be recriminated or scolded for this.
- In case of sensory overload or intense discomfort of the person, we can offer help or a quiet place so they can feel better.
- It is recommended if there are many people in the store, in order to reduce waits, to offer priority treatment to reduce their discomfort.
- Due to sensory needs, they may sometimes ask you for specific instructions regarding foods, textures or containers. They are not being rude, but rather due to their sensory characteristics, eating certain foods or using certain textures may be unbearable for them.