The Lansing area will offer sensory-friendly activities during Autism Awareness Month. | Caleb Woods/Unsplash
The Lansing area will offer sensory-friendly activities during Autism Awareness Month. | Caleb Woods/Unsplash
April is dedicated to Autism Awareness Month, and the Greater Lansing community wants to welcome travelers to the self-proclaimed "most sensory-friendly city" in all of Michigan.
The area will offer a number of sensory-friendly activities on top of the programs already planned throughout the year, according to a press release from the city. Planned events include a falconers program at Potter Park Zoo, sensory-friendly movies and concerts, and shows at MSU’s Abrams Planetarium.
"The Greater Lansing community takes great pride in having numerous offerings tailored to the growing number of neurodiverse guests and their families," Julie Kingston, president and CEO of the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau (GLCVB), said in the release. "It is our hope to continue to develop and conduct ASD [autism spectrum disorder] training for our hospitality partners and encourage sensory-friendly activities by our attractions."
The region is proud to be a welcoming community with a goal of being able to offer the best experience to everyone who visits, the release said. One in 44 eight-year-old children is diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The GLCVB in 2017 launched a partnership with attractions in the area to offer a positive environment for those with ASD and developmental disabilities, and other neurodiverse individuals and their families, according to the release. Other attractions have since joined the endeavor. This list includes Impression 5 Science Center, Celebration Cinema, NCG Cinema, MSU Museum, Michigan History Center, the State Capitol Building, Lansing Art Gallery & Education Center, the Lansing Lugnuts, Preuss Pets, and the Wharton Center for Performing Arts.
The GLCVB supports Xavier Degroat's Autism Foundation, which recently opened a first-of-its-kind Autism History Museum inside the Meridian Mall. Degroat is an autism awareness advocate. The press release noted that the museum "offers a timeline of the awareness of autism and celebrates prominent figures who live with ASD."
The foundation also offers a number of services to local residents living with autism, including counseling, rehabilitation, and financial guidance.
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