In July, 2023, Walmart tested a “sensory friendly” program of no background music and dimmed lighting on Saturdays from 8-10 a.m. Due to the overwhelming positive response from patrons, employees, and others, in November 2023 Walmart made sensory friendly hours a daily practice nationwide. The Walmart press release notes: “These changes may have seemed small to some, but for others they transformed the shopping experience.” Business Insider reports that “People with autism, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to experience sensory overload.” Sensory overload can be very physically and emotionally distressing for the person experiencing it. It can cause irritability, trouble focusing, a racing heart, exhaustion, and a strong desire to escape. Walmart’s goal is to make “shopping in our stores more inclusive for those with sensory disabilities” and to “create a culture where everyone feels they belong.”
My recent editorial in the Hearing Journal entitled “Thank you, Walmart” states: “This balanced solution not only provides the public and employees with choices, it provides access for disabled Americans without the stigma of having to ask for accommodations. Trying to explain an invisible disability, and why one needs a small change, is a big hurdle that often results in no change…One avoids going back. Walmart’s solution takes the disabled “complainer” out of the equation: there is no embarrassment or shame at having to ask, and there is no stigma or retaliation.” This no cost accommodation also protects businesses and patrons from a “biased employee” violating company policy and the ADA. The Forbes article about it recommends: “Don’t wait for your brand to lose sales and market share, before deciding to be inclusive of consumers. They’ll remember the ones who took the time to see them first, when nobody else did. They’ll also notice the brands who took the time to see them, only after everyone else did.”
Starbucks listened and announced in April, 2024 that all its new stores, and 1,000 existing stores, will have sound absorbing panels and acoustics “for improved communication and to help create a more inclusive experience for customers and employees. Stores will use materials to reduce unwanted background noise and reverberation that can interfere with assistive devices like hearing aids.” An increasing number of restaurants, grocery chains, museums, theaters and other businesses are offering sensory friendly choices.
Sharing these changes with your favorite stores will encourage them to also provide accessible options and increase business. The sensory disabled appreciate your help.
Copyright John Drinkwater 2024. All Rights Reserved.
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