Kulture City the nation's leading nonprofit on sensory accessibility and acceptance for those with invisible disabilities. Sensory needs are a common medical condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses.
Riverfront Fort Wayne applied for Promenade Park to be certified as Sensory Inclusive. This process is achieved through demonstrating that the Park is equipped and accessible to people with sensory needs. Going through the certification process ensures that the facility caters to everyone with sensory needs not just autism. This includes military vets with PTSD, adults with dementia, Parkinson's disease, stroke patients just to name a few. The Sensory Inclusive Certification is available to venues, organizations, small businesses or caring individuals who want to learn more about sensory needs and how to better engage with individuals with sensory needs.
In order to get the certification we had to have more than 80% of our Riverfront Staff pass training, and then made simple yet impactful modifications made to the location. This include making the Betsy Chapman Garden into a quiet area of the Park. We also receive sensory bags supplied by Kulture City to be available during events to meet the sensory needs of any individual attending events.
Here is a map to show you all of the sensory inclusive certified locations in the United States. Currently only the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Promenade Park and the downtown Community Center are certified in Fort Wayne, IN.
https://www.kulturecity.org/sensory-inclusive/
KultureCity sensory bags are available to check out at the Park Foundation Pavilion at Promenade Park. These sensory bags are designed to help sensory needs in both adults and children. Filled with items that can help lessen sensory overload and also engage, the bag items are also easily cleaned and sterilized for multiple uses.
Podcast on Special Inclusive Programming
Check out a podcast with Riley Hollenbaugh, Riverfront Program and Events Manager, as he discusses special inclusive programming this winter at Promenade Park.
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