Everyone has their own opinion about what autism is, but few get close enough to really understand them. Good news to families with autistic members in Malaysia. Now, you can shop with fun and understand them better with special features for the autistic people at Sunway Putra Mall! Starting January 2019, Sunway Putra Mall will implement a few features specially designed to create autism-friendly environment.
Credit: incluzy.com
Ooh, it’ll grow dim but not spooky!
One of the features Sunway Putra Mall will implement is they will reduce the lighting brightness and slow down the volume of ambient music within the mall. This special event will take place on Tuesday, between 10AM and 5PM, starting January 2019!
Many people do not know that some features in the mall are actually huge hurdles for the autistics. The mall management is taking into account how flickering, bright lights and volume of ambient music can disturb the autistics, thus creating an autism-friendly environment.
READ: 5 Awesome Things about Autism You Didn’t Know
Enjoy Maximum Benefits
Sunway Putra Mall representative, Phang Sau Llan as quoted by Cyber-RT said that,
Tenants will also be part of our autism-friendly Tuesdays. These will include priority queues at payment counters for families with autistic members to make their visit to outlets in our mall far more pleasant.
She also added that autistic people can also gain many benefits throughout their outings at the mall. If you have a family member with autistic disorder, register them at the concierge counter, and he/she will be given an identification band, in which they can enjoy many benefits – including parking privileged! That’s sweet!
Phang added,
We’re still working out how best to be autism-friendly and this is just the first phase of our mall-wide effort. We welcome feedback from the public and those caring for autistic people so that we can improve.
A Partnership with Autism Behavioral Center
For the initiative, Sunway Putra Mall has teamed up with Autism Behavioral Center, based in Bangsar Baru. This centre is the largest Applied Behavioural Analysis Therapy (ABA) certified centre in Malaysia, in which it assists families, whose members are autistic.
The centre’s Director, Charlene Marie Samuel reckoned that such partnerships will open up new opportunities for autistic people to explore outside of their homes. She added,
Even a haircut can be a stressful experience, due to sensory overload. While our tried-and-tested therapy methods help autistic people cope with the demands of today’s lifestyles, every little bit to help reduce hurdles they need to otherwise overcome goes a long way.
A round of applause to Sunway Putra Mall for making the effort to create awareness for the disorder and taking the initiatives to create an autistic-friendly environment!
In the meantime, don’t forget to have fun with your little ones at Sunway Putra Mall this school holiday until 1st of January 2019!
For more parenting tips and events, head over to Motherhood.com.my today!