Autism Impact Award for Derry shopping centre

Foyleside Shopping Centre are now once again the proud recipients of an Autism Impact Award from Autism NI.

This prestigious award is presented to organisations who go above and beyond to create an ‘Autism friendly environment’, allowing autistic individuals and their families to enjoy the same privileges as everyone else in the community.

Foyleside has several members of staff that have been specially trained by Autism NI to become centre champions, ensuring autism accessibility within the Centre.

One of those is Mall Officer Adrian O’Brien who has seen first-hand the amount of work that Foyleside has put into educating staff and customers on autism and other conditions.

“When I first started at Foyleside, many places simply weren’t as accessible as they are now. I can only credit those at the top for making the necessary changes over the years to give so many more people the opportunity to visit in their own time”.

One of those changes involves Wednesday evenings at the centre being designated as “Quiet Evenings” in an effort to make retailers and shoppers more conscious of the challenges faced by Northern Ireland’s autistic community.

On these days Foyleside provides a quiet shopping opportunity where background music is deactivated, and PA announcements are kept to a minimum, making the whole experience much more accessible for autistic people and others with sensory processing differences.

Foyleside also has its own sensory room, which is located on Level 3, one of several measures taken by the centre to improve accessibility for all visitors. This unique space features fibre optics, bubble tubes, and sound and light settings which can easily be customised depending on the individual needs of those using the facility.

Fergal Rafferty, Centre Manager at Foyleside Shopping Centre said, “We are extremely proud to receive this award from Autism NI and we here at Foyleside will continue to offer accessibility to the many autistic individuals and their families in Northern Ireland.

“We want all shoppers to feel welcome, comfortable, safe, and above all, to have an enjoyable experience at Foyleside. We hope that we can continue to make steps towards tolerance and inclusivity across society as a whole.”

Foyleside presented Autism NI with a cheque for £600 raised from a ghoulish Halloween gathering where an assembly of apparitions were invited to Foyleside for a record-breaking ghost gathering attempt.

This presentation was made to Emma McAllister after Foyleside donated £1 to Autism NI for each registered participant dressed as a ghost.

Representatives from Foyleside pictured at the handing over of £600 from Foyleside Shopping Centre to Emma McAllister from Autism NI. Included from left Cllr Emma McGinley, Derry City & Strabane District Council, Fergal Rafferty, manager, Foyleside Shopping Centre, Rachel McLaughlin and Josie Foy, staff members and Emma McAllister, Training and Development Officer with Autism NI. (Photos - Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)

Christine Kearney, Director of Development from Autism NI, said: “Autism NI are delighted to present Foyleside Shopping Centre with their Autism Impact Award reaccreditation. This award demonstrates their commitment to accessibility and inclusion for the autism community across Northern Ireland.

“Foyleside staff have participated in autism training which supported them to create and implement an action plan of supports to improve accessibility across their services.

“We would also like to express our thanks to Foyleside for their generous donation of £600. Autism NI have a number of fantastic Support Groups across the North-West area that provide information and support to our autism community and this donation will continue to fund our vital services.”