Our flagship store, The Armoury, used its reopening day on July 1 to host its first-ever Sensory Hour.
Also coinciding with the launch our new 2019/20 adidas home kit, The Armoury put on a tailored hour-long slot to ensure that all our supporters could enjoy the big day.
Previous users of Emirates Stadium’s matchday sensory room and their families were invited to the store, where sound and light levels were lowered and clear signposting was introduced, as well as additional training put on for staff.
The Armoury will now host a regular monthly Sensory Hour as part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring that all our supporters feel a part of the Arsenal family.
“If you’ve got heightened sensory needs, basic things can be really difficult,” explained Carly, whose son Reggie attended the Sensory Hour.
“Shopping was one of Reggie’s worst – I could not take Reggie shopping. There were a lot of factors I had to try and work around to get him into a shop. It was either too loud, too noisy, too hot.
“On a matchday, Reggie could not come into the shop but now with this hour he’s able to come in and enjoy it. It makes it so much more accessible to people with sensory needs.”
Arsenal in the Community’s disability officer, Luke Howard, said: “It is a privilege to be involved in Arsenal’s continued commitment to supporting autistic individuals and their families.
“To see first-hand the club’s sustained determination to be more accessible and be true to the Arsenal For Everyone message is fantastic.
“Hopefully days like today can be used as a springboard to keep accessibility at the front of discussions and ensure that all of our supporters can enjoy huge days such as this.”
The Armoury is a one-stop shop for all Arsenal fans and the only place that supporters can go and be among the first to get their hands on the new adidas and Arsenal 19/20 home kit this week.
If you require information regarding our next Sensory Hour slot, please contact Luke Howard at lhoward@arsenal.co.uk
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