Camden’s Adventure Aquarium is hosting sensory-inclusive hours every Sunday in April as part of their celebration for Autism Awareness Month.
Adventure Aquarium in Camden County is celebrating Autism Awareness Month by adding “sensory-inclusive” hours every Sunday for the rest of April.
The New Jersey aquarium announced on Tuesday that they will dedicate each Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. as a sensory-inclusive time.
During this hour the aquarium will lower the music, soften lights and reduce crowds in an effort to meet guests' sensory needs.
Dates for sensory-inclusive hours:
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- Sunday, April 7
- Sunday, April 14
- Sunday, April 21
- Sunday April 28
Since 2022, the Adventure Aquarium has been “certified sensory-inclusive” with KultureCity, ensuring that every event the aquarium hosts is sensory-inclusive.
KultureCity describes sensory needs as “a common medical condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes through the senses.”
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This being said, along with autism, in order to be certified with KultureCity, businesses like the aquarium must cater to everyone with sensory needs. This includes individuals with PTSD, dementia and Parkinson’s disease, among others.
The inclusive organization requires the aquarium staff to be retrained every year to better understand guests with sensory needs and to teach employees how to handle a situation if a guest has a sensory overload.
The Adventure Aquarium also provides a limited number of “sensory bags” for guests.
The sensory bags include noise-canceling headphones, fidget tools and verbal cue cards.
These bags are available for visitors every business day and can be picked up at the aquarium’s information or guest services desks.
In addition, the venue also has “headphone zones.”
In these “zones” around the building, signage is posted to alert guests they will be entering a louder area, with reminders to use noise-canceling headphones if needed.
And if a visitor does experience a sensory overload, the aquarium has a “designated quiet area” aimed to give people a private and quiet space.
