OpenStreetMap
When I was out do a bit of mapping (mostly house numbers and opening hours) in Clonmel with StreetComplete, I noticed an opening hours sign specifically for autism friendly opening hours. I had seen them before on supermarkets in Ireland, but this time, it led me to start a proposal for a new key to be able to map those, because I was at a loss there. It was a Vodafone shop, but I did some quick online research, and it is not uncommon in Ireland for shopping centres or supermarkets to have them. Some are referenced in the proposal.
The organization behind it is As I Am, a charity supporting people with autism and families with autistic family members.
It means that the lights are dimmed, there is no background music and announcements are kept at a minimum. I’m not diagnosed with autism, but I wish all this was done all the time and not just one or two hours per week.
Discussion
Comment from H@mlet on 17 March 2022 at 21:23
Hi.
That’s a great idea ! (the original concept, and tagging it ;-) )
But I’m a little embarrassed about the key, I find it somewhat offensive. I know it’s meant specifically for autistic people, but I would prefer a tag farther from the people, if that makes any sense. I’m not an english native speaker so that might be why I’m unconfortable.
And on the proposal process, you need to start a conversation on the tagging mailing-list I think.
Best regards.
Comment from b-unicycling on 18 March 2022 at 12:01
I know what you mean, but this is how it is phrased on their websites and the actual opening hour signs. It’s meant to be inclusive rather than exclusive, so I hope it is okay. The conversation on the tagging mailing list was started, but didn’t get much response. Which is a good thing, in my opinion. Less work for me.
Kind regards
Comment from H@mlet on 20 March 2022 at 12:23
Well, I guess the ground truth is always best. :-)
But searching for similar endeavor in other countries, I found the term “Quiet hours” used, especially in Great Britain.
In France I had heard of experiments, but a quick search shows that it seems to be generalizing quickly… And it’s not specifically termed “autistic” but more usually “Heures calmes”, easily translated to “Quiet hours”…
Thus I think that
opening_hours:quiet_hours, or maybe justopening_hours:quietwould be better. First because it convey the actual action of the shop, not the targeted public, thus it feels more objective. Second, I’ve read criticism from some organization representing autistic people, saying mainly that dimming lights and sounds is a good step, but not enough by far. To be really “autistic-friendly”, the store should have better signs, the personnel would need dedicated training, more time, and so on…Also your proposal would gain from examples from countries, there are far more than I thought initially.
My 2 cents.
Best regards.