Woolworths opens mini supermarket for children with disabilities
Woolworths has launched a new miniature supermarket to help children with disabilities.
The initiative at Black Mountain School in Canberra, ACT, is aimed at supporting the education of students with disabilities while providing hands-on learning experiences.
The mini store looks exactly like an actual Woolworths store with baskets for fresh food, shelving for groceries, ticketing, signage and Woolworths-branded uniforms the students can wear to create a fully immersive experience.
The checkout features a fully operational Fujitsu register, and allows children to learn money handling skills.
BMS Fresh Food, as the students have named their new mini Woolworths store, was brought to life in just a couple of months with the support of Inten Constructions and Fujitsu.
“We’re really proud of our new mini supermarket at Black Mountain School and the opportunities it will create for students,” said Patrick Misciagna, Woolworths Group’s General Manager of IT, Service, Operations and Infrastructure.
“The students can experience how to shop, what to buy, how to handle money and how to work with weights and measures in a controlled environment.
“Even the registers are identical to those in our stores today with the same hardware and software.”
Clare Burden, VP of Portfolio & Alliances at Fujitsu Australia Limited, said the company was excited to join the project.
“As an organisation that promotes diversity and inclusion, it’s inspiring to be able to empower these students to maximise their potential,” she said.
“We’re looking forward to seeing Mini Woolworths Black Mountain flourish as it plays a vital role in the Black Mountain School community.”
Black Mountain School focuses on special education for students in Years 7 to 12.
The new Woolworths at Black Mountain School is the third mini-supermarket of its kind, with similar Woolworths shopping experiences created for St Edmund’s College in Wahroonga NSW and St Gabriel’s in Castle Hill NSW.