Birmingham Airport Unveils Sensory Room
The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport unveiled its new sensory room Friday. It’s for travelers who are easily overstimulated. KultureCity, an advocacy group for people with autism, worked on the initiative with the Birmingham Airport Authority.
Being in an airport can be stressful for travelers. There are bright lights, loud noises and big crowds. The sensory overload can be heightened for people with autism and other sensory issues, such as post traumatic stress disorder.
“So the sensory room provides a calm space and a safe space importantly for those individuals to use, calm down, and be able to continue on with their flight itinerary,” says Michele Kong, co-founder of KultureCity.
There is a light dimmer to control brightness, and a textured wall visitors can touch. There is also a calming bubble wall. The Birmingham Airport is believed to be the first airport nationwide to provide a sensory room accessible to everyone.
Mentally ill people are stuck in jail because they can’t get treatment. Here’s what’s to know
Hundreds of people across Alabama await a spot in the state’s increasingly limited facilities, despite a consent decree requiring the state to address delays in providing care for people who are charged with crimes but deemed too mentally ill to stand trial. But seven years since the federal agreement, the problem has only worsened.
Ivey appoints Will Parker to Alabama Supreme Court
Parker fills the court seat vacated by Bill Lewis who was tapped by President Donald Trump for a federal judgeship. The U.S. Senate last month confirmed Lewis as a U.S. district judge.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
