INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Lucas Oil Stadium is now home to a sensory room, making one of the city’s largest venues accessible to all.

The room was created by nonprofit KultureCity, the “nation’s leading nonprofit on sensory accessibility and acceptance for those with invisible disabilities,” according to their site. KultureCity worked alongside the stadium and the Capital Improvement Board to make the room possible.

Tucked away near the stadium’s southwest entrance, the room turns chaos to calm with sensory-friendly components. The room features bubble walls, adjustable lighting, calming visuals, comfortable seating and Yogibo bean bags.

“It’s all in an effort to give guests the best experience possible and be able to come to events that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to come to events that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to,” Mike Rogers, a member of the Lucas Oil Stadium’s Guest Services team.

The room is open during every event at the stadium and families are free to use it after checking in with the room’s attendant. They can also download the nonprofit’s app before the event to see all available features.

“Every one of those families, they were in here for 15 or 20 minutes, and you can see the kids were calm as they walked out, and so you can see that it really works,” Rogers said.

Rogers says aside from the excitement the room brings professionally, it also has a personal impact.

His grown son is on the autism spectrum and would have benefited hugely from a sensory room at the stadium.

“We had Colts season tickets for a while and every time we came, we did the best we could to give him headphones and so forth, so that he could take the environment, but it still wasn’t working,” Rogers said.
“We knew the best thing to have would have been a room just like this.”

The stadium also offers sensory safe bags, which include a weighted blanket, fidget toys, headphones, and verbal cue cards.

Attendees in need of a bag can check one out at guest services.