A growing number of stores and institutions in Germany are adopting the 'Quiet Hour' initiative, designed to reduce sensory overload for people with invisible disabilities. Since early June, IKEA stores across the country have been turning off music, dimming lights, and halting announcements on Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m., except in emergencies.

Rebecca Lefevre, spokesperson for the German association Gemeinsam Zusammen, explained: 'We want to provide moments of relief for people with invisible disabilities, whose nervous systems are often permanently overwhelmed. The Quiet Hour aims to lower sensory stimulation.'

The concept originated in New Zealand in 2019, when Theo Hogg, father of an autistic child, convinced his supermarket employer to introduce a 'Quiet Hour'. Germany launched its own inclusive initiative in 2023, with increasing participation from businesses.

Many EDEKA and REWE supermarkets now observe a Quiet Hour. Rudolf Schmidt, manager of a REWE in Diez, dims lights, turns off cash register beeps, and postpones restocking every Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. 'Customers who come specifically for this thank us,' he said.

The Stadtmuseum Münster has participated since February, offering a Quiet Hour route on one Tuesday per month from 4 to 6 p.m., with no guided tours and a dedicated quiet space. Assistant director Axel Schollmeier noted that visitors are taking advantage of the offer.

Frank Rohde, owner of a specialist gardening shop in Kassel, maintains a permanent Quiet Hour: 'We've always done it this way: no music, quiet conversations with customers,' he said.

Lefevre emphasized that the Quiet Hour benefits everyone in a society with constant overstimulation from smartphones and social media. However, she stressed the difference between 'pleasant quiet' and 'painful sensory overload that excludes people from social life'.

Source: www.dw.com