06-03-2025
Salt Lake City airport opens first of three sensory rooms
Salt Lake City International Airport wants to provide a smoother travel experience for passengers with sensory processing disorders.
Driving the news: The airport this week opened its first room designed to provide a quiet space for people featuring dim lights, beanbags and activity panels.
The roughly 100-square-foot room, located in Concourse A, was designed by medical professionals and neurodivergent individuals.
Why it matters: Airports can be overwhelming for people with sensory issues, due to large crowds, distracting noises and unforeseen situations.
Sensory issues are common among people living with autism, dementia, PTSD and other conditions
The big picture: Airports in Atlanta, Portland and San Francisco have opened similar spaces.
The Delta Center has provided a sensory room since 2018 on its fifth floor.
State of play: The Salt Lake airport worked with Alabama-based nonprofit KultureCity, which provides training on interacting with people with sensory challenges, to create the room.
What they're saying:"Whether you're a child who was born with a sensory need, or an adult who acquired it, or a teenager who just gets anxious from time to time, this space is here for you," KultureCity executive director Uma Srivastava told reporters Tuesday.
Flashback: The partnership between the city and the nonprofit was formed after the Salt Lake City police shooting of Linden Cameron, an unarmed 13-year-old autistic boy.
Cameron was seriously injured when an officer shot him multiple times after his mother called 911 as he was experiencing a mental health crisis.
KultureCity later provided training for most of the Salt Lake City Police Department. Airport staff will also receive training annually.
What's next: This is the first of three sensory rooms that will be built at the airport. The remaining two are set to open in the fall.
