BOSTON (WHDH) - Agganis Arena at Boston University is cutting the ribbon on a sensory room, a safe haven for people to go who get overwhelmed with the lights and sounds of their live events.
The university said the sensory room is the first of its kind at any sporting or event venue in the Boston area.
“Because of the increased demand from guests’ requests, we looked around, we got a little outside the box and we found a space that was being under-utilized, and converted it to a sensory room,” said Kristopher Brassil, the general manager of Agganis Arena.
The room is located away from the crowds, and features several calming design elements, including a rocking chair, bean bags, soft lighting and calming art features. There’s also a TV that streams the onstage action. The space is also equipped with weighted lap pads and fidget toys.
“We tried to make this space inclusive to everyone,” said event manager Rebecca Reid. “Those that have PTSD, fibromyalgia, Tourette’s, you name it, we want to be able to get a space towards these groups of individuals.”
Staff at Agganis Arena received training from the Asperger Autism Network, teaching them how to recognize and react properly to guests with sensory processing disorders.
“The room is a great, great, great thing, but we also need to have our front of house staff and our frontline team know exactly what to do when a situation does happen,” Reid said.
BU said it’s a big step toward inclusion and a great way to make sure everyone can enjoy themselves.
“We want to make sure everybody’s having a great time– they feel safe, they feel comfortable, and if this is just a little bit of extra work to give that opportunity for this amazing group of people, we’re all for it,” Brassil said.
Any guest can use the sensory arena, but kids must be accompanied by an adult.
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