Columbia County Performing Arts Center certified as sensory-inclusive venue

The Columbia County Performing Arts Center is now a certified sensory-inclusive venue, Operations Manager Josh Gardner said. The facility has added trained staff, three quiet rooms, three headphone zones, a sensory room and sensory bags to help patrons with sensory sensitivities attend performances.

The certification, Gardner said, comes through a partnership with Culture City and is intended to make events more welcoming to people with autism and to others with sensory needs. "We are the first, sensory sensitivity certification for the CSRA. We partnered organization called Culture City, and they help with sensory training for venues, for police departments, for fire departments," Gardner said.

The changes are meant to address common barriers families described in the segment. Lehi Osteen, a parent from Evans whose 9-year-old son Eli lives with autism, said the family often avoids public outings because of noise, lighting and crowds. "I think it's an amazing step for Columbia County to to basically tell, all of the families who have neurodiverse kids, hey, we want you here. You know, we we we care about you. We want to make it an inclusive event," Osteen said.

Gardner described specific resources available at the PAC. Staff and volunteers are trained to recognize sensory needs, and the venue offers sensory bags that "have tools in it like a lap pad, fidget tools, communication cards, as well as the, headphones and, light glasses," Gardner said. The PAC also has "3 quiet rooms, 3 headphone zones, and even a sensory room," the segment said. Additional features include a tactile wall, beanbag chairs and planned lighting adjustments in the sensory space to allow patrons to disengage briefly and then rejoin performances.

The announcement named a range of conditions the certification is intended to help, beyond autism, including stroke and Alzheimer’s and dementia patients and others who are neurodivergent. The segment did not specify costs, implementation timeline, or whether the certification imposes formal reporting or monitoring requirements on the county.

Family members said the changes could expand participation. "He's part of it. And for the first time, the outside world isn't as scary," the family said in the segment.

The county did not announce additional policy changes or funding in the segment. For details about hours, how to request sensory accommodations or to reserve sensory bags or quiet rooms, the PAC was identified as the responsible venue in the announcement.