Clonakilty, Co. Cork to become Ireland’s first Autism Friendly town
Clonakilty, under the guidance of the Autism led charity AsIAm and SuperValu, is set to become Irelands first Autism friendly town. The initiative is the latest in an ongoing partnership that will see the whole community strive to achieve official Autism friendly accreditation over the next four months.
The project has received an overwhelming positive response from the community and in order to achieve the goal of becoming Irelands first Autism friendly town, local businesses, organisations, and community groups will undergo training and organisational changes to ensure Clonakilty secures full autism-friendly accreditation. The local community has committed to delivering the following:
- Engagement and training of 25% of businesses and voluntary organisations;
- Engagement and training of 50% of public services;
- Engagement and training of 50% of school communities;
- Engagement and training of 50% of healthcare professionals;
- Engagement of three employers;
- Reaching 25% of the town’s population.
2015 saw Scally’s Supervalu in Clonakilty become Irelands first retailer to implement changes in store ensuring the autistic community could enjoy a better shopping experience. Since then over 100 SuperValu stores have followed suit implementing Autism friendly initiatives such as diming lights, turning off music, turning down store announcements and even reducing till beeps during Autism friendly shopping times. Store Maps have also been introduced helping families plan their shopping experience.
Alternatively, if you need further information or advice in relation to making your services more accessible please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on (01) 415 12 85 or e-mail [email protected].
