Education

Creating a new ‘Kulture’

Nonprofit raises awareness for individuals with sensory needs

BY JEANA DURST

Kulture City is the nation’s leading nonprofit when it comes to those with sensory needs. Founded in Birmingham about six and a half years ago by Doctors Michele Kong and Julian Maha after their eldest son was diagnosed with autism, it has now grown to work with more than 600 venues in five countries. We caught up with Uma Srivastava, who began with Kulture City as a volunteer and is now their COO, to learn more. “The community can be very isolating, and six years ago not much was out there to serve those with sensory needs. We thought that Kulture City would be a Birmingham thing, but we never envisioned the tremendous growth,” Srivastava says.

One in 5 individuals in the U.S. has a sensory need. “Often times when folks hear the term sensory needs, they think of children with autism and, yes that’s correct, but it can also include adults with autism, individuals with PTSD, early onset dementia, ADHD, cystic fibrosis and a whole host of other conditions where individuals can become overwhelmed by their environment,” Srivastava says. Some may be triggered by loud sounds, bright lights, crowds, smells, or a combination of these. They might have difficulty going into a venue like a zoo because the environment could be overstimulating. In the beginning, they worked closely with The Birmingham Zoo and invited families with varying sensory needs to come to better understand what they could modify and what kind of training they could provide staff. That was the genesis. Now Kulture City works with science centers, museums, baseball parks, barber shops, restaurants, and even more.

“The goal when we work with a venue on certification is to make them more inclusive so they are more accepting of all individuals,” Srivastava says. With Regions Field, for example, they trained staff to be familiar about how to interact with an individual going through an overload. “In all 600 venues we have sensory bags available for checkout at no cost. The bags include noise canceling headphones and fidget tools,” Srivastava says. These kinds of tools are especially helpful at Birmingham’s Urgent Care medical centers, where children with sensory needs may already be overwhelmed when they walk in the door. You can walk into any venue and ask to check out a Kulture City bag with no questions asked about a diagnosis. “It’s a private thing—it’s very personal and the last thing we want people to do is feel awkward when asking for help,” Srivastava says. Other things in the bag include a “visual thermometer” that an overwhelmed individual can use to point to a feeling in order to communicate as well as a lanyard that says KC VIP. This allows staff at the venue to know how to accommodate the individual. During the time of COVID, this has been especially useful for individuals who are unable to wear a mask.

Currently, Kulture City is developing special COVID-19 training that they are providing to venues—one more way they are creating a culture of acceptance. For those looking to support the cause, community members can engage with KC Fit and raise funds to run to support the organization.

To learn more about services, volunteer opportunities, or to make a donation, visit www. kulturecity.org.