If you head to the Johnson County Museum on the first Monday of the month, you may notice the lights are dimmer, it’s a lot quieter and there aren’t so many people around.
That’s deliberate. The first Monday of each month is designed to better accommodate children with sensory processing differences and autism spectrum disorder.
“For the most part, they can experience the museum just as you do every other day,” said Leah Palmer, curator of education at Johnson County Museum. “But with some key changes to make it a little bit more welcoming, and a little less sensory input."
The museum limits capacity to just 30 guests, when the museum’s “KidScape” can normally fit 100. Other accommodations include dimming or turning off lights, disabling some of the exhibit’s sound features and opening a low-sensory room for anyone who needs a break.
Signs help families navigate the space and identify any areas that may be triggering to kids who are overwhelmed with certain sensory input.
“We know the typical kind of echoey gallery experience does not feel inviting for everyone,” Palmer said. “Setting aside a time is mostly important because it lets the public know that we want them here and that whatever their experience with museums is, however they experience the world — that the museum is a place for them.”
Palmer said the museum started doing sensory-friendly days after seeing how well pre-registered sessions worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum then partnered with Britain Development, which provides services to young children with special needs, to audit the space’s accessibility and what changes could be made to make it more sensory friendly.
Every month, a staff member from Britain Development provides support to families during these sessions and brings a different sensory activity for children to play with.
Janette Foster, program supervisor at Britain Development, said families that have children with sensory differences often decide not to go to places like the museum that are usually loud and full of people.
She wants these families to feel welcome at the Johnson County Museum.
“They can feel like they can come however their child responds, whether that's quietly or a little bit more robustly or loudly,” Foster said. “They're free to experience the museum, just how they are.”
That’s how Amanda Larsen feels when she brings her two kids to the museum on sensory-friendly Mondays.
She said her 4-year-old daughter, Catherine, doesn’t have too many sensory issues but is learning how to talk. When there are a lot of kids around, she said her daughter can get frustrated when she can’t get her words out.
“I'm constantly feeling (like I have to) say, ‘Oh, I'm sorry for my kid’ when I shouldn't have to, but I feel the need to,’” Larsen said. “But here, it gives me the opportunity just to be her mom, play with her and not have to worry about those extra things that are going on.”
Fewer people and less stimulation allows her daughter to explore, play and even interact with others in a way she may not feel comfortable doing otherwise. Larsen said she also loves seeing some of the things her daughter is working on in therapy and school translate into how she plays.
Larsen said she has fond memories of going to children's museums when she was younger, and is glad her daughter gets that experience.
‘It's just an amazing place to take my kid,” Larsen said. “As her mom, just seeing her have fun, it means a lot to me.”
The Johnson County Museum holds sensory-friendly days on the first Monday of the month from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m unless closed for a holiday. More information and pre-registration for the program is online.
