The Guinness Open Gate Brewery has been accredited by Ireland’s Autism Charity, AsIAm, as a certified autism and sensory-friendly venue.
The collaboration between the Guinness Open Gate Brewery and AsIAm aims to ensure that autistic and sensory-sensitive people, and their families can visit the taproom with confidence and comfort.
To achieve this certification, Guinness Open Gate Brewery employees completed training to better understand autistic customers, their families, and those with sensory processing differences – and how to create a welcoming, inclusive environment for all.
From November, the venue will also offer specific sensory-friendly hours, with adapted lighting and sounds.
Adam Harris, AsIAm CEO, said: “Working with industry leaders who lead in inclusion and accessibility is essential for the community. The time we spent working with this team has been a pleasure and we are glad to accredit the Guinness Open Gate Brewery as sensory friendly, ensuring everyone can have an enjoyable visit to the taproom. We’re proud to be part of supporting fantastic visitor experiences which otherwise may not have been accessible to our community before. Diageo’s commitment to autism accessibility is particularly important in the context of our work to make Dublin the world’s first Autism-Friendly capital city.”
Catherine Toolan, Diageo Irish Brand Homes Managing Director, said: “Here at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, we work hard to ensure that every single visitor has an outstanding experience. Working with AsIAm to achieve our accreditation is a huge milestone in our commitment to making the taproom as accessible as possible.”
“With the accreditation now confirmed for the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, all of our Brand Homes, including the Guinness Storehouse, Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny and Roe & Co Distillery have received accreditation by AsIAm, helping us provide experiences for all visitors.”
