Meeting special needs
A mall makes changes to become the country’s first autism-friendly shopping centre, writes
THERE is a scene in the 2016 film Redha, of a young boy causing a fuss at a supermarket, upsetting other shoppers and forcing his mother to apologise on his behalf. The boy has autism, but none of the onlookers know that so they assume he is just a badly-behaving child. They also pass judgment on the mother for not teaching her son manners.
A Malay proverb goes, “berat mata memandang, berat lagi bahu yang memikul”. It means we can sympathise with a difficult situation, but how we feel is nothing compared to the hardship of the person who is in those circumstances.
However, we can — and should — help lighten the load.
Sunway Putra Mall in Kuala Lumpur is doing its part by introducing the Autsome (short for “autism is awesome”) initiative. It has dedicated every Tuesday (except public holidays) from 10am to 5pm as an autismfriendly shopping day.
The initiative started early this year and was officially launched last month. Attendees at the launch included Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Hannah Yeoh.
“I hope this initiative will be an example to the management of other shopping complexes and corporate sectors to provide public spaces that are suitable to meet the needs of the community as well as children
with special needs,” said Yeoh.
Some people argue whether shopping malls are a public space; since they are owned and operated by the private sector they have the right to turn people away.
But Sunway Putra Mall says it is taking on the initiative willingly, as part of its corporate social responsibility, and it is also a business decision.
There are several challenges for autistic individuals in shopping malls — loud noises, bright lights and crowds. This situation may cause sensory overload, leaving them agitated and upset. It may even trigger a physical reaction.
So people with autism spectrum disorder and their families avoid coming to malls to avoid unwanted scenarios. But this isn’t fair, and far from ideal. A person on the spectrum and their caregivers need to shop for groceries, clothes and other necessities. Everyone can do with a fun outing or a nice meal.
So the most noticeable difference at the