Why Vanderbilt added new sensory rooms at Memorial Gymnasium, FirstBank Stadium
Candice Lee's 14-year-old nephew has not been to a Vanderbilt game yet. He has sensory challenges that have raised concern over whether the atmosphere of an SEC sports game would be too much for him.
Experiences from people like Lee's nephew are among the reasons why the Commodores decided to add two sensory rooms. The rooms are for people with sensory needs, such as autism, anxiety or PTSD, and need a space to decompress during a game.
The rooms are the first of their kind in the SEC, Lee said. But they aren't a new concept: the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators both have similar spaces, as does the Adventure Science Center. Vanderbilt already had a soft opening of one sensory room on the FirstBank Stadium concourse that will be in use for football and baseball games, and several fans were able to utilize it during the 2023 baseball season.
Vanderbilt held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday for the second room, located in Memorial Gymnasium.
Vanderbilt basketball alum Shan Foster was one of the people who donated money for the project, which was done in conjunction with KultureCity, an organization that aims to add modification at public venues for those with sensory needs.
"I'm thinking about my nephew who, we haven't been able to bring him to games because it's just been too much for him," Lee said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "And now he'll be 15 this year and now I know that maybe we don't have to worry about keeping him at home because I think he'll be able to experience our venues and have a memorable time like so many of us have."
The room contains bubble walls and a nanoleaf panel that provide visual and tactile stimulation, sensory bags with headphones and toys for fidgeting, tactile panels, beanbag chairs and a color-changing cube, along with a painting of the Vanderbilt logo done by an autistic artist.
According to Lee, the new sensory rooms have been over a year in the making.
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"Probably the best way to say it is that we want to make sure that the things that we say that we subscribe to, that the actions that we take demonstrate that and so this commitment to providing the best fan experience for everyone is there, is real," Lee said. "There are many steps that we have to take to make sure that everybody feels included. This was really important."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Vanderbilt, Candice Lee added sensory rooms at stadiums
