More and more businesses and non-profits are seeing families living with autism as a business opportunity - and that's (often) a very good thing.
A couple of weeks ago, I met a representative of AMC (the movie folks) at the Autism Society conference. AMC has become quite serious about autism, and they put up a good chunk of change to sponsor the conference. Parents of kids with autism (and anyone else who's interested) can now attend first run "sensory friendly" movies in a number of towns across the US - and know that (1) the room will not be in total darkness; (2) the sound will not be overwhelmingly loud; (3) kids will be allowed to move around and make noise as necessary.
So far, AMC has garnered quite a bit of good will from their efforts; I'm also guessing that they're beginning to see some significant income as well.
AMC is not alone. We are beginning to see a growth in the number of restaurants, museums, and other venues willing to tweak their offerings just a bit to make them autism friendly - even if it's just for an evening a month. Toy companies such as Toys R Us and Discovery Toys are presenting whole lines of "autism friendly" toys. The Wyndham Hotel chain is offering autism friendly rooms.
Some of these events and offerings are the result of deliberate partnerships with organizations like the Autism Society and Autism Speaks - but many are the result of a few families getting active. And some are initiated by organizational insiders with children or grandchildren on the spectrum.
It hardly matters why any given organization decides to create or offer products or programs for "our" kids. More important is the fact that we're becoming a real and significant demographic - big and important enough to warrant specially-designed events, programs and products offered at mainstream organizations.
Have you taken part in any of the autism-friendly programs listed above? Or have you purchased autism-friendly products through mainstream businesses? Are you aware of an autism-friendly offering in your town? Please share!
Review or Share Info About an Autism-Friendly Product or Service
As a Discovery Toys consultant, I can guide you to some “just right” toys for your child, whether they have autism or not. Fifteen years of experience.
I am endowed with Asperger’s.
Speaking directly to theater owners and bar/restaurant owners who want my business:
At a theater I do not want it “rock concert” loud! That’s the quickest way to lose my business. I’m not saying it has to be soft or some silly nonsense like that, but if I have to stuff toilet tissue in my ears to tolerate the volume, I’m never coming back. In restaurants, keep the noise down from bands. One local restaurant on a lake had the white painted wood theme with beautiful oak floors and huge windows looking over the lake, and a player piano. It was beautiful, nostalgic, and you couldn’t hear yourself think it was so loud without any fabric to absorb sound. I never went back, and they went out of business.
Your theater had better not have an odor, and God forbid it have a vomit odor! If your restaurant has a smoking section, it had better exhaust the air from that room, for if it just goes back through the furnace or A/C and gets recirculated throughout the whole restaurant, I will never return. Sometimes I notice it before I get past the foyer, and walk right back out. Don’t make me walk through a smoking section to get to my table, the rest room, the buffet or to the cash register, or you will never see me in your restaurant again. Don’t let people smoke in the rest room for the non-smoking section. Seat me on the edge of the smoking section and I am not afraid to get up and walk out.
Don’t marinate your steaks in a marinade containing black pepper, or you will never see me again.
Don’t put a speck of pepper in a stew, and don’t serve me baked goods with sodium acid pyrophosphate in them as a common leavening agent; to me it tastes like I am eating a phosphorus emergency flare. It is so frustrating to have a waitress insist that what I am ordering is not spicy, only to take one bite and find the food unbearably spicy. I am talking pain! Rule of thumb; if it would be uncomfortable if it accidentally got in your eye, it’s spicy!
If I am at a party, don’t embarrass me when I choose not to drink alcohol. I am well aware you enjoy alcohol; to me, there is no discernible difference between drinking alcohol and turpentine. No matter how little alcohol is in it, I will notice the burning pain and the turpentine flavor.
I am not asking for special treatment. You KNOW when the volume is “rock concert” loud. With the spices and smoke, I am asking for honesty; if you put spices in it, it’s spicy. If you don’t exhaust cigarette smoke, it’s not really non-smoking.
I like to go to the cinema in the morning when it is less crowded and there are frequently other autistic people in the audience. It would not cost Cineworld to lower the volume and keep the lights on dim and might even increase the early audience.
Every now and then I publish film reviews on my blog with notes for people with sensory issues. Perhaps mainstream reviewers should be encouraged to do the same.
Many businesses who are coming around are a result of parents working very hard to convince businesses that their children cannot come to their place if the music is too loud or if the lights are too bright. Parents work very hard for what they get and yet know one else seems to really understand autism unless it directly affects them.
I run a training program called the Autism Alliance Partnership and its purpose is not only to motivate businesses to make changes within their practices but to really learn and understand what it is like for a child/adult with an autism diagnosis to live and function in our world. When you better understand why individuals act a particular way, you approach families and children differently. ~Your provide better customer service! It is not just a “do it because the boss said so” mentality. The idea behind the Autism Alliance Partnership is to train and connect businesses directly with families who are parent of children/adults with an autism diagnosis. The need is there, and families want to use community services, it just makes sense. Those who are less understanding are still working on how this will all come together in the end.
Nichole – I agree, but I also think there are a few other factors at play.
For example, businesses may believe that “inviting” people with autism will result in problem customers who might frighten or even injure other customers. In addition, I think there’s a perception that changing the product (lowering sound, for example) might drive away average consumers.
The truth is that the fears aren’t entirely unfounded: bad things CAN happen when you invite “differently abled” individuals to your establishment.
Of course, good things can and do happen too – and I really do see a “sea change” as folks understand the breadth of autism, and as many actually get to know people on the spectrum as family members or children of friends.
Lisa
Picture this: You’re talking on the phone when you notice your loved one is not in the room. You call out and there is no response, you call again, and still no response. You quickly hang-up the phone and start looking. The back door is wide open and your loved one is nowhere in sight. The adrenaline starts pumping, your heart is pounding and panic sets in. Your family member with Alzheimer’s disease or Autism has wandered off and is lost. Time now becomes your enemy. Now imagine if this happened in the middle of the night. Natural hazards and outdoor temperatures now become a critical survival factor.
The tool is a Mobile Tracking Receiver developed by Care Trak International, that electronically tracks lost persons who are wearing a wrist transmitter.
The person at risk of wandering wears a tiny water and tamper resistant band that is worn on the wrist or on the ankle. This one-ounce transmitter puts out a silent pulsating radio signal 24/7. In the event the person becomes lost.
When autism was rare (1 to 4 in 10,000) it did not present such a good business opportunity. Now that it is so common (1 in 110) it presents a much more profitable business opportunity.
Whether for reasons of profit or compassion, it’s great that there are more products and services designed to be accessible to people with autism.