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Global beauty retailer Sephora has introduced a ‘Quiet Hours’ programme across its stores worldwide, aiming to create a more comfortable and accessible shopping experience for neurodivergent people and anyone who prefers a calmer retail environment.

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The initiative is the first global programme of its kind in the beauty retail sector. During designated Quiet Hours, stores will lower the volume of in-store music, adjust digital displays to reduce visual stimulation and, where possible, minimise the presence of strong fragrances. At selected locations, customers will also have access to additional options, such as mobile checkout, making the shopping experience simpler and less stressful.

The programme was developed in partnership with Open Inclusion and Purposeful Futures, with direct input from neurodivergent customers and employees whose experiences helped shape the initiative.

Before its global rollout, Sephora tested the programme in 32 stores across eight markets. The pilot project found that the majority of neurodivergent customers believed Quiet Hours significantly improved their shopping experience. In addition, 90% of all surveyed customers said the initiative made stores more inclusive and welcoming for everyone.

Experts involved in developing the programme note that people with autism, ADHD and other sensory issues often find shopping centres highly challenging environments because of loud music, bright lighting, strong fragrances and large crowds. Even relatively small adjustments, they say, can substantially reduce sensory overload and make shopping a more comfortable and independent experience.

The initiative has also received positive feedback from employees, who report that the calmer environment enables better communication with customers and reduces stress throughout the working day.

By introducing Quiet Hours, Sephora joins a growing number of major retailers offering sensory-friendly shopping periods. Similar initiatives have been adopted in recent years by supermarkets, department stores and cinemas, reflecting a broader understanding that accessibility is not only about removing physical barriers but also about creating environments where people with sensory sensitivities can feel safe, comfortable and included.

Sephora says Quiet Hours represent just one step towards creating a more inclusive shopping experience and has pledged to continue working with the neurodivergent community to develop solutions that meet the needs of an even wider range of customers.

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The developers of the digital euro application are making significant efforts to ensure that everyone, regardless of the type of disability they have, can use it without difficulty

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Switzerland recently held a referendum in which voters rejected the complete digitalisation of the national currency and enshrined the protection of physical cash in the country’s constitution.

Across the rest of Europe, however, the introduction of a digital currency has become a major political issue in the European Union. Public debate has focused less on its economic implications and potential benefits for growth, and more on concerns about how the digital euro could affect civil liberties and the exercise of legally protected economic rights.

Whatever the outcome of those debates, the transition towards greater digitalisation of payments is unlikely to become the subject of referendums in EU member states, while cash transactions are expected to be subject to increasing oversight and regulation.

For Europeans with disabilities, one encouraging development is the announcement by the European Central Bank (ECB) that the digital euro application will be designed to be both accessible and inclusive.

“Like cash, the digital euro will be a public good, and in the digital age every European should be able to access it under equal conditions. We support the European Commission’s legislative proposal to ensure that everyone has access to the digital euro application. Accessibility is how we make sure the digital euro belongs to everyone,” said Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB’s Executive Board.

The application is currently under development and is scheduled to be tested next year as part of the digital euro pilot project. It is already known that the app will include features such as screen reader compatibility, simplified language, improved keyboard navigation, enhanced visual design and other accessibility tools.

The developers are therefore making considerable efforts to ensure that all users, regardless of the nature of their disability, can use the application without barriers.

“The proposed application features reflect the ECB’s commitment to ensuring that every European can access digital payments on equal terms, regardless of their needs, abilities or level of digital confidence. The design of the digital euro application demonstrates the ECB’s commitment to creating a payment solution that works for everyone. By embedding accessibility into its design, the application will empower Europeans to participate fully in the digital economy,” the ECB said.

The proposed accessible digital euro application has been developed in close cooperation with consumer organisations, accessibility experts and the national central banks of the euro area.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has once again linked the rise in autism diagnoses to childhood vaccinations, prompting strong criticism from physicians and autism advocates, who stress that there is no scientific evidence supporting such claims

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U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at changing childhood vaccination recommendations in the United States. While presenting the new measures, he once again suggested a connection between vaccines and autism.

Trump argued that autism is far more common today than in the past and linked the increase in diagnoses to the growing number of vaccines children receive. However, physicians and autism organisations emphasise that decades of scientific research have found no causal relationship between vaccines and autism.

The executive order proposes changes to the U.S. childhood immunisation schedule, including reducing the number of vaccines routinely recommended for all children. Trump also advocates administering vaccines during separate medical appointments and replacing the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine with three separate vaccines.

One challenge is that individual vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella are currently not available in the United States. The order instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a plan to make such vaccines available.

While signing the order, Trump referred to the number of vaccines children receive and suggested that both the quantity and timing of vaccinations could play a role in the increasing prevalence of autism.

Dr. Andrew Racine, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, warned that such statements create unnecessary uncertainty, fear and confusion among parents. He stressed that the scientific evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of vaccines has not changed.

According to Dr. Racine, the possible relationship between vaccines and autism has been examined in more than 40 high-quality studies conducted in at least seven countries, involving more than five million children. The conclusion, he said, is unequivocal: vaccines do not cause autism.

Experts also warn that delaying or separating vaccinations could leave children unprotected against vaccine-preventable diseases during the intervals between medical visits.

Dr. Aaron Milstone of the American Academy of Pediatrics noted that childhood vaccines are supported by decades of safety data and warned about the consequences of preventable infectious diseases. As an example, he cited the deaths of two previously healthy children from measles in the United States during the past year.

Autism advocates further caution that discussions portraying autism primarily as something to be eliminated or prevented may divert attention from the needs of people who already live with autism and their families.

The debate comes as the Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continue efforts to reshape U.S. federal vaccination policy. Kennedy has promoted claims linking vaccines to autism for years, despite extensive scientific evidence showing no such connection.

Although the rise in autism diagnoses over recent decades is real, experts emphasise that it cannot simply be interpreted as evidence of an increase caused by a single external factor. Changes in diagnostic criteria, greater public awareness of autism and improved recognition of people on the autism spectrum have all contributed to the higher number of diagnoses.

Trump’s latest executive order has therefore raised concerns among many in the medical community that renewed political messaging linking vaccines and autism could further undermine public confidence in immunisation and increase the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.