Wpg Free Press: St. Anne’s Sobeys announces sensory-friendly shopping hours
As the Winnipeg Free Press reports:
The Sobeys on St. Anne’s Road will become the first grocery store in Manitoba to hold weekly sensory-friendly shopping, which an expert says would directly benefit customers with sensory issues such as autism.
“Many people with autism want to live independently and be able to contribute to the overall family environment,” said Cheryl Glazebrook, an autism expert at the University of Manitoba.
“Grocery shopping is a great opportunity to be out in the community and to be independent with that aspect of their life. But there are many things in our environment that can make that challenging.”
Glazebrook said that things such as bright fluorescent lights and loud noises affect people with sensory issues the way mosquitos buzzing around, or a blister on someone’s foot, would irritate and distract a person without those issues.
“Those things can become all consuming for your attention,” Glazebrook said. “By creating an environment that is more sensory-friendly, that can help people focus on things they want to do while they’re shopping instead of paying attention to that extra sensory information.”