HiperDino, through the DinoSol Foundation, has the first store adapted for people with autism, favoring their real inclusion in tasks as everyday as going shopping, in the Playa Honda Industrial Estate. This establishment has been chosen to start the Accessible Store project, with the aim of taking a further step and favoring the social inclusion of people with functional diversity.
Inside, 20 pictograms and sequences have been installed, strategically located, which will guide and accompany these people when shopping, informing them of which section they are in or when to go through the checkout, for example. At the same time, a awareness and training campaign has been carried out for store staff so that they know all the details of this project and its value in achieving a more egalitarian society.
In this way, HiperDino becomes the first supermarket chain nationwide to install pictograms and help sequences aimed at people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to the company.
Among those attending the event were: Virginia Ávila, director of the DinoSol Foundation; Olga del Pino, head of Social Action at CaixaBank; Israel Betancort, president of AsperCan; Daniel Godoy, creator of the project and member of AsperCan; and other representatives of HiperDino, CaixaBank and AsperCan.
Implementation phases
The implementation of the Accessible Store project has been developed in six phases: assessment and feasibility of the project; study of the store for its implementation; alliances with collaborators; design and printing of pictograms and sequences; placement and adaptation in the store, and awareness and training campaign for staff.
ARASAAC, Augmentative and Alternative Communication System (AAC) based on the use of pictograms that facilitate communication for people who have difficulties in this area due to various factors, has been the system used for the adaptation of all pictograms and sequences.
In each and every one of the aforementioned phases, the involvement and participation of AsperCan and the “la Caixa” Foundation, through CaixaBank, has been decisive in making this project a reality.