This Irish Supermarket Has Created An ‘Autism-Friendly Shopping Environment’

If you go to Scally's Supervalu in Clonakilty between 7pm and 9pm on a Tuesday night, you'll notice that the environment is a little bit different to what you're used to.

The lights will be turned down, for a start. The fridge lights will be switched off, as will the music, while phones will be muted and announcements will be conspicuous by their absence. 

And the reason? To create a shopping environment that's friendly to people with autism – regulating and reducing the huge amount of sensory stimulation a person with autism experiences in a busy supermarket.

Owner Eugene Scally was encouraged to try out the idea by a customer's daughter, who studied the condition in college. He told Lovin Dublin: 

''The response from the local community has been enormous, and we're absolutely delighted to be making our store a better place for absolutely everybody.''

''There is an incredibly massive sense of community in West Cork, and I'm delighted now to be fully aware of what's required," he added.

"We're all in this together and I'm thrilled to be doing my part.''

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