On Thursday, Salt Lake City International Airport announced it is the latest airport to open a sensory experience room, adding to the drive to make air travel a stress-free, happy and accessible option for all passengers with a sensory need. The airport has partnered with KultureCity, the world's leading nonprofit on sensory accessibility and acceptance, to provide the facility.
Building a more inclusive airport
The Salt Lake City Department of Airports has joined with KultureCity to provide the first sensory accessible and inclusive space at the airport to offer a positive experience for all passengers with a sensory need. Bill Wyatt, executive director, Salt Lake City Airport Department of Airports, said:
"Since opening the new SLC more than four years ago, we have worked to make the airport environment welcoming and inviting to all passengers. The new airport has been designed to be adaptable and to accommodate people of all abilities and we continue to make improvements to achieve this goal."
The KultureCity partnership at SLC
KultureCity and its medical professionals designed the new dedicated sensory space, the first of three that will open at Salt Lake City International (SLC), to be welcoming for people who may need a quieter environment. The room is located on Concourse A-east and is equipped with bean bags, visual light panels, activity panels, air walls and ADA seating.
SLC staff will be trained to recognize fliers with sensory needs and how to handle a sensory overload situation. Uma Srivastava is the executive director of KultureCity, and at the opening, she said that one in four people in the US has a sensory need or an invisible disability. Her words may have surprised the audience when she told them:
Building on Srivastava's statement, KultureCity said that sensory needs are a common medical condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses. Common sounds, lights, crowds and even certain smells might not only be overwhelming but also physically painful.
Those outcomes can often lead individuals to withdraw from communities, not by choice, but by circumstance, as they worry about how the world will accept or include them. An airport environment is more often than not a stressful experience for even seasoned travelers, so providing sensory rooms, such as the one in Salt Lake City, can only be applauded. Srivastava added:
"Empowering communities through inclusion and innovation, Salt Lake City Airport is aligned with the same visionary spirit as KultureCity and is championing a world where every individual, regardless of ability, is not just accepted but celebrated for their unique contributions to the tapestry of humanity."
San Francisco International adds a sensory room
In December 2024, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) announced the opening of its newest amenity: a Sensory Room specifically designed for Neurodiverse travelers and their families. The interactive room offers a variety of experiences, including:
- An Activity Area with both analog and digital options
- A Calming/Soothing Area for contemplation and wonderment
- A life-size Cabin Experience featuring a realistic, full-scale aircraft interior mock-up that allows families to acclimate to the experience of flying before boarding their actual flight
To create the sensory room, the SFO team benchmarked similar facilities around the world and consulted with the UCSF Children's Hospital and The Arc San Francisco, an organization that partners with, supports and amplifies the voices of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Sensory Room is located post-security in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 and can be accessed from any SFO terminal via connecting walkways. The facility is open daily from 05:00 to 23:00 and is not staffed.
