Shopping can sometimes be stressful and overwhelming, especially for adults and children with autism and other neurodiverse conditions.
The new sensory room in the centre:mk’s Guest Services Lounge is a private space for individuals and families to make use of to simply relax and take time out from the busy shopping mall.
It is equipped with dimmable lighting, floor cushions and seating for an adult and a child. The walls feature calming and relaxation sensory toys, featuring textures, colours and fidget features such as buttons dials and cogs.
The room is free to use and can be accessed by asking the Guest Services staff who will be able to open the room for individual shopping parties. There is no need to pre-book.
This is just the latest addition to the facilities offered by centre:mk, including free wheelchair and mobility scooter hire, changing places toilet, hearing loop and sunflower lanyards.
Kim Priest, Head of Marketing said “We are really pleased to open the sensory room to offer a calming space for our guests who may need to take some time out. We are continuously looking for ways we can make centre:mk even more accessible and inclusive and to give everyone who visits us the best experience we can.”
This initiative was launched on Purple Tuesday, an annual day celebrating and drawing awareness to the needs of disabled people, their families and carers, where centre:mk, along with many other businesses in the city centre created an event through MyMK BID with the ambition to make Milton Keynes the first Purple City.
