Autism-Friendly businesses/public places?

[kasmanaft08]

Inspired by this:

Honestly I love the idea of places being more "autism friendly", of course, but I also think that people wandering around and shouting would trigger my Aspie Anxieties.

What places do you think should be more "autism-friendly"?

 

[NeverEnder]

Interesting and a fine idea but, I too, may be a bit bothered by people dancing or singing, etc, in the aisles. :/

 

[King_Oni]

How unrealistic it sounds; I would like an aspie friendly supermarket.

That means one with no loud announcements or in general loud noises, screaming children and stuff like that, a store that's rather tidy and obviously one that is clear on pricing and such. I have an easier way keeping myself together in a toystore for F's sake.

And public transport, especially the more high speed intercity trains. From what I understood in Holland we actually have "silence"-sections, but no traveller keeps to that and also, there is no one enforcing that. Fine the people who break that "rule" for over 5 times their monthly income and kick em out (of a moving train)... srsly, I hate it. Also, in that section, lower down the volume on announcements. It's even more abrupt if it's quiet for once, and an announcement comes blaring through utter silence.

I'm sure I can come up with more... but that's it for now

 

[King_Oni]

As a follow up, something that to me is stress and anxiety inducing in a public place... I mentioned it before; the supermarket... the beeps at the register... earlier today it made me lift up my shopping cart... and I kinda felt ready to tactically relocate it by means of aerodynamics.

Usually I have my music on so I can ignore those, but with that... please cashier, do not talk to me or ask questions.. it's either this or that, not both...

 

[Spinning Compass]

ANY business that has loud blaring music can count me out as a customer. There are some stores in the mall that are so loud my blood pressure automatically goes up just walking by.

The supermarkets I shop at aren't so bad but now that spring is coming I tend to go to farmers' markets which can have their own issues with crowds and kids running out of control. In fact, that is one of my pet peeves. Parents of young children often don't seem to be aware that their little ones can easily bring down an elderly person when they dart in and out of crowds. The smaller the child the easier it is not to see him or her. And especially if you are carrrying a load of something, you can't see the kid.

I was at a crowded microbrewery and this two-year-old was running around weaving in and out of patron's legs, people were walking around trying to carry mugs of beer back to their tables. The parents were as usual totally oblivious to the fact that little Johnny was presenting a serious tripping hazard. I'm afraid I wasn't very tactful after almost falling over the brat myself at least once. I don't get it. What is a child that young doing running around in a small, crowded area anyway?

It seems like kids nowadays are not taught that when you are in a public place that is NOT a playground you DO NOT run and scream. I see it all the time at church, too, kids pushing their way through and nobody saying a word. The other day I heard about a five year old who was "allowed" to climb and walk on the kitchen counter at home even when Mom was cooking. What is wrong with the world? Sorry, end of rant.

 

[King_Oni]

It seems like kids nowadays are not taught that when you are in a public place that is NOT a playground you DO NOT run and scream. I see it all the time at church, too, kids pushing their way through and nobody saying a word. The other day I heard about a five year old who was "allowed" to climb and walk on the kitchen counter at home even when Mom was cooking. What is wrong with the world? Sorry, end of rant.

That's something I see a lot as well... parents either don't care for their kids to be running around and even encourage them to play around... the other group is the parents who have kids and bring them around everywhere, even if it's not a suitable environment for them. Parents go buy a new tv, talk to employee for advice on a new tv and the kid is running around the store cause parents can't keep their eye on them. I once told one of such parents it was annoying to where they replied "well, where do I have to put him then?"... well... how about don't go out in public that much if you take on that obligation and cannot make sure you can keep your kid in line... people look at me like I'm telling them awful things. It's as if people think it's "normal" to have kids yelling and screaming everywhere... no it's not, and by choosing kids, you have more obligations and responsibilties. Think about those things BEFORE you get kids.

 

[NeverEnder]

That's something I see a lot as well... parents either don't care for their kids to be running around and even encourage them to play around... the other group is the parents who have kids and bring them around everywhere, even if it's not a suitable environment for them. Parents go buy a new tv, talk to employee for advice on a new tv and the kid is running around the store cause parents can't keep their eye on them. I once told one of such parents it was annoying to where they replied "well, where do I have to put him then?"... well... how about don't go out in public that much if you take on that obligation and cannot make sure you can keep your kid in line... people look at me like I'm telling them awful things. It's as if people think it's "normal" to have kids yelling and screaming everywhere... no it's not, and by choosing kids, you have more obligations and responsibilties. Think about those things BEFORE you get kids.

You have no idea how much I agree with everything you said - COMPLETELY!

I shun and disdain children altogether. I do not have kids nor do I want them.

BUT, if I was to have a child I would oversee their behavior properly and ensure they act in a civilized manner.

Western society has lost all direction. No one is polite any more and this is passed on to their "precious" children creating monsters!

 

[Spinning Compass]

Yes, it seems I've struck a nerve with that one about kids. And then I am told, "Well, you don't have kids of your own so you have no right to criticize."

Well, maybe that is one of the reasons I DON'T have kids of my own. But what these folks don't realize is that others ARE watching their kids AND watching the fact that THEY are not watching their kids. And not all of these people have benign intentions if you get my drift. I cannot tell you how many times I could have just snatched up a kid and run.

Some years ago there was a tragic drowning in my community. Seems like these people had come to visit friends who lived near a river and brought their two-year-old along with them because their friends had children also. ALL the adults went into the house to chit-chat while leaving the kids in a supposedly fenced-in area. Well, guess what. Someone left the gate open. Someone else was not watching. And by the time anyone noticed, the little two year old was LONG gone and nobody knew where. There was a big search and they finally ended up calling in divers who found her body trapped under a ledge in the river. Tragic, yes, but 100% preventable.I hate to be callous--but, Darwin's law. Nature is not kind to unattended little ones.

So I totally agree with what King Oni says--if you aren't willing to take on the responsibility of having kids, don't have them.

But, what really gets me as a person on the spectrum is when I see a kid having a meltdown (and I am not totally unsympathetic, I understand meltdowns) and the parents "explain" to everyone around that the kid is behaving that way because he or she is AUTISTIC. That REALLY gets me. We on the spectrum have enough problems making our way as it is without autism becoming synonymous with bad behavior.

 

[epath13]

That's what I like:
Restaurants with booths
Malls early in the morning
Parks with good walking paths

As for messages about kids,I personally haven't experienced kids out of control that much unless it's a playground or something similar to that with my kids we have a rule, in public place hold hands, hold a stroller or a cart, or stay in a cart. In electronics store my older son usually preoccupies himself with 3D TV watching or browsing through some tablet or something. I very rarely see kids by themselves unless it's a poor part of town... Teenagers might do stupid things like riding their bikes in the middle of the road. But as a kid I was doing lots of stupid things myself so I'm pretty much lenient most of the time... My kids can be pretty loud and in your face but most of the people I've met haven't had much issues with them... As for meltdowns I definitely would separate them from tantrums, and disagree completely that it is a sign of bad behavior. Should it be managed when possible - yes, should it be treated as misconduct - no, unless people start seriously hurting others and even then there has to be understanding that approach has to be different from the approach towards regular bad behavior. One thing that Ihave learned, you can't simply make a kid behave well, in many cases he or she ends up growing up having poor self-esteem, being aggressive or depressed. Discipline is essential but a lot of times adults forget that kids are not grown-ups, they have a vast potential in inner growth and development, but they do still have to learn about the world and how it works and it's parents responsibility to teach them that, not to inject their own fears or delusions in their brains... So I guess having kids is a learning experience for both. And as for all the remarks... Maybe Midwest is different after all, because I haven't experienced much of what you're describing maybe I haven't payed attention

 

[Bubblepig]

Something I would love to be available in public places is little rooms - "Safe Spaces" - where you could go to cool off. Almost like a mini sensory room. Soft floor and walls, the ability to turn off all the lights, perhaps some buttons where you could choose a background noise like waves or thunder. They could be dotted around like disabled toilets, but to stop people abusing the facilities you would need a key like a RADAR key to get in.
One thing that makes me anxious about being in public is knowing that there are no places you can go to wind down. The closest I can get is the library, but even that has a flow of people and I can hardly curl up on the floor without people noticing. At college I used to lie down on the floor in an empty classroom but it was embarrassing when people walked in on me, and then they started locking all the doors between lessons so that wasn't an option anymore anyway.

 

[Gomendosi]

Something I would love to be available in public places is little rooms - "Safe Spaces" - where you could go to cool off. Almost like a mini sensory room. Soft floor and walls, the ability to turn off all the lights, perhaps some buttons where you could choose a background noise like waves or thunder. They could be dotted around like disabled toilets, but to stop people abusing the facilities you would need a key like a RADAR key to get in.

Okay, if you maybe do a search on Japanese power nap chambers or something like that, the Japanese have invented and installed in quite a few buildings, these little stackable chambers and they end up being like bus stations lockers but for people. You pay the fee to get in, it unlocks, you either just enter or climb up and enter a chamber, it is about four foot high and wide and about 6 foot long and soundproofed, and you can listen to calming sounds or soft muzak or just go to sleep.

They also have invented these comfy chairs that have a fold down privacy cocoon so workers can take a 5 or 10 minute powernap, these I believe, are less soundproof but work on the same principle as the above.

Both of these things actually exist and are in use as I have seen them both mentioned on TV via a few different sources, but just haven?t been bothered to look it up myself ; ]

Something like that would be ideal wouldn?t it?

 

[King_Oni]

Okay, if you maybe do a search on Japanese power nap chambers or something like that, the Japanese have invented and installed in quite a few buildings, these little stackable chambers and they end up being like bus stations lockers but for people. You pay the fee to get in, it unlocks, you either just enter or climb up and enter a chamber, it is about four foot high and wide and about 6 foot long and soundproofed, and you can listen to calming sounds or soft muzak or just go to sleep.

They also have invented these comfy chairs that have a fold down privacy cocoon so workers can take a 5 or 10 minute powernap, these I believe, are less soundproof but work on the same principle as the above.

Both of these things actually exist and are in use as I have seen them both mentioned on TV via a few different sources, but just haven’t been bothered to look it up myself ; ]

Something like that would be ideal wouldn’t it?

It would, but we as a western society aren't used to people going for powernaps and all. People weird at me when I tell them I slept for 30 minutes or less and feel energetic again.

A mall in my area has a few chairs where one can sit. You have to pay to use them... it's the worst placement of said chairs. In the middle of the mall next to the escalators. If those chairs would be at a corner in the quiet I wouldn't mind throwing in a buck to sit there for 15 minutes or so.

 

[WildCat]

The idea of a sensory friendly film certainly has its appeal for those who are unable to tolerate what's essentially a fragmented, overwhelming environment. I was that kind of kid at one point or another, but most of my sensory issues have pretty much disappeared altogether. I can tolerate public venues and tune out what I need to now, but I do get anxious around large crowds of people from time to time.

Quite frankly though, the reality is many places of business are the exact opposite when it comes to autism - accommodations can be made for the physically handicapped, sure, but just try to accommodate someone with autism. It's usually bad behavior or the parent who gets placed at fault because, y'know, we have nothing that immediately gives us away in public. I'm also wondering how many parents are latching onto the idea of using this as an alternative for their badly behaved but otherwise normally developing kids - the ones who act like demon spawn, the ones you can pick out from a crowd pretty easily.

 

[FishyEnthusiest]

I think having a sensory friendly grocery store would be amazing. I dread going to the grocery store and I never go by myself in case I can't handle it.

 

[Needtobreathe]

People should be quiet in movies. The sound on prometheus should've been turned down a little bit but the dark don't bother me. Nice to see awareness.

 

[ASD_Geek]

It would be nice to see more and more businesses just tone it down a little. The grocery stores have TV monitors all over the place (on aisles and overhead) running commercials. Even some gas stations have what's called GSTV (Gas Station Television) that assaults your brain while you're pumping gas.

 

[Mrsmac]

My 14 year old drives people mad at the cinema with his over excited laugh and whooping at the good bits. He actually mentioned going to an Autism friendly showing, until he thought about it then asked if everyone else there would be clapping and whooping throughout cos if that was the case he wouldn't go or how would he enjoy the film with all that noise.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Advertising is the bane of my existence. I hate it that I have to do some advertising with my business, but I do it politely. Complimentary colors, no doomsday "you'll die without me" garbage or it's cousin "you're a loser if you don't do this" garbage, and when online I use static images instead of animated GIFs and certainly not Flash. I hate Flash ads. So obnoxious! Thank you to the developers of Adblock Plus! I wish grocery stores would get rid of those stupid TVs and install some mirrors on the ends of the buggies. I've lost count of how many people I've nearly squashed or who've nearly squashed me when coming out of an aisle!

Aspie-friendly theatre for me would be one that came with a pause button for bathroom breaks and had nice big dinners!
So I just watch movies at the house. Nothing like a heavy meal then chilling on the couch to a movie. You can't get that in the theatre.