In a major next step in our work to create the most comfortable and inclusive experience possible when visiting the Los Angeles Zoo, we are now proud to offer a mobile sensory support room in partnership with the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation and the Georgina Fredrick Children’s Foundation.
For many individuals—particularly those with autism, dementia, PTSD, and other similar conditions—the noise and activity of public spaces can become overwhelming. “There are so many sensory or potential sensory stimulations at the Zoo,” says Curator of Community Inclusion Jess Kohring. “Everything from smells to sounds to sights and people.”
The new mobile sensory support room provides a quiet and comfortable space to recover from overstimulation and will make it possible for groups that include someone with sensory needs to attend the Zoo together. They can come for the day knowing there’s a way to take a break or find relief that is specially geared toward them. When they’re ready, they can simply go back to enjoying the Zoo together.
“Thinking about the health benefits and the mental health benefits of being in nature and connecting to nature, and about being in a city where everyone doesn’t necessarily feel safe or have easy access to natural spaces, I think being able to provide that for this community is really important,” says Kohring.
The mobile sensory support room comes as a fully assembled mobile trailer from KultureCity, a nonprofit leader in the sensory inclusivity space. The interior has been created by specialists to ensure all components are beneficial for visitors with sensory needs, with features like manipulative touch panels, sensory bean bags, and textured walls. It also has air conditioning, heating, and appropriate lighting.
To provide a refuge that mirrors the existing quiet room at the front of the Zoo, the room will be located in Neil Papiano Play Park. “Play Park is considered a headphone zone. It is an area where there is a lot of stimulation happening,” explains Kohring of the strategic choice to place the trailer there. But the unit doesn’t need to stay in one place; that’s the beauty of a mobile sensory support room: It can be hitched and moved for events, during construction, or any time it’s needed elsewhere.
The Zoo has the first mobile sensory support room at a zoo or aquarium on the West Coast, making us a leader in innovation and inclusion. Further, to ensure that this vehicle is in line with the Zoo’s sustainability goals, we will be installing solar panels to power it, making it completely off the grid and enhancing its mobility.
It took some special partners to make the mobile sensory support room a reality. Once the need was identified by community members and championed by Kohring, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) set to work securing funding for the project. “GLAZA got funding for it like that,” Kohring says, snapping her fingers. “It was bananas. It was so fast.”
The mobile unit was funded by the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation and the Georgina Fredrick Children’s Foundation. The Norris Foundation has been a GLAZA partner for nearly three decades, supporting general operating expenses and special projects including the Conservation Strategic Plan recently and the installation of the Pachyderm Forest and the Children’s Discovery Center in years past. The Georgina Fredrick Children’s Foundation has supported GLAZA for twenty-two years via such projects as the alligator sculpture at the LAIR, the Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel, renovations for the World of Birds Show theater, Betty White’s Zoo Pals program, and Papiano Play Park. Kohring is excited for families, groups, and individuals to benefit from the new mobile sensory support room. “I hope they feel seen, I hope they feel valued,” she says.
The room isn’t the only sensory support tool visitors can access during a visit to the Zoo. In 2022, the Los Angeles Zoo was certified by KultureCity as a sensory inclusive venue. As part of the KultureCity certification, the Zoo’s staff were trained by industry professionals on varying sensory needs, the sensory inclusive components throughout our campus, and how to best support all individuals in having a successful Zoo experience. At the Zoo’s International Marketplace, sensory bags equipped with noise canceling headphones, fidget tools, verbal cue cards, and weighted lap pads are available to all guests who may benefit from their use. Prior to visiting the Zoo, guests can download the free KultureCity app from the App or Google Play stores. The app shows what sensory features are available at the Zoo and where to access them. Also on the app is the Social Story, which provides a preview of what to expect from a sensory standpoint while enjoying a day at the L.A. Zoo.
To start, the room’s hours of operation will be Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.