Salvador Bahia Airport opens multisensory room for passengers with autism and anxiety

Salvador Bahia Airport in Brazil has opened a multisensory room, the first at the airport, alongside a broader accessibility programme called LUMI.

The room has an area themed around aircraft. It is meant to give passengers with autism, ADHD and severe anxiety a space with controlled stimulation and predictability, and tools to help settle sensory and emotional wellbeing. Adriana Balaguer, an occupational therapist who advised on the design, said the space was planned around sensory and emotional regulation, with an emphasis on making typical flight events predictable and on calming features. The materials chosen sink, vibrate, massage or apply weight and compression, mainly working on the proprioceptive system, she said.

Organisers say the room also gives passengers somewhere to recover when they are overloaded, and eases stress for the people travelling with them.

The LUMI programme was presented at the same inauguration. It groups measures to welcome and include passengers with varied needs. Its slogan is "Illuminating the path for a smoother journey". Elements listed include staff training, accessible information materials, travel guidance booklets, lanyards bearing the sunflower symbol, and physical and digital signage in the terminal.

Julio Ribas, the airport's chief executive, said accessibility forms part of the experience the airport intends to offer, and that this requires accounting for the different ways people move through the building.