La Boqueria, the first market in the world to be "Autism Friendly"

The Boqueria market has become the first market in the world to be a safe area for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In collaboration with the international organization Autism Friendly Club, the Boqueria has taken a fundamental step to facilitate the gastronomic and cultural experience for people with this disorder.

The president of the Boqueria, Jordi Mas, and the president of the Autism Friendly Club association, Alberto Gutiérrez, presented the project on the 18th. The project includes the installation of pictograms at all market stalls, QR codes that lead to an adapted guide, and special training for the vendors. Sensory kits have also been created to address the sensory perceptions disturbances that people with ASD often experience, including stress balls and anti-noise elements.

These measures aim to ensure that autistic individuals and their families fully enjoy the Boqueria. During the presentation, Jordi Mas emphasized that "the best market in the world must be an example for the rest of the markets and must be influential worldwide. This is the responsibility we have, and for this reason, we must be pioneers in adapting to people with ASD."

In this sense, Mas highlighted that "a market is not just a space to sell food, it goes beyond that, it is also gastronomy, culture, human sensitivity." The president of the Boqueria mentioned that in the future, a second phase will be initiated, which will include adapting the restaurant menus for better understanding by the neurodivergent community and workshops to enhance the market's pleasure experience. "At the Boqueria, there are families with ASD children, which results in a high degree of awareness. We have trained the staff, and everyone is very excited about the project," he emphasized.

The president of the Autism Friendly Club association highlighted that what has been launched today is a "cognitive accessibility program," which, unlike measures to facilitate physical accessibility, is not regulated by law. "We are not obligated to use pictograms to facilitate access for people with ASD. No law mandates the full integration of neurodivergent individuals. This requires raising awareness among the population." As detailed, there are around 90 million people with ASD worldwide, 9 million in Europe, about 800,000 in Spain, and around 60,000 in Catalonia.

"Pictograms are very important because they are visual supports that allow individuals with ASD to identify what they will encounter. The visual context is essential. For a neurodivergent brain, nothing is intuitive. We do not want to talk about inclusion, but about living spaces, which is what the Boqueria has become today. The world is built for neurotypical people, when 16% of the world's population is neurodivergent. People with ASD need to anticipate and know what they will find in the market, which is why the guide we have incorporated into the Boqueria website is so important," he specified.

With this action, the Boqueria joins a global network of over 600 spaces adapted in sectors such as catering, hospitality, education, and commerce, demonstrating that inclusion is not only possible but can also be a driver of social and economic change.