AMHERST — The Amherst Recreation Department and KultureCity, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advocacy for inclusivity and accessibility for individuals with sensory needs, partnered to bring sensory inclusivity to Amherst.
“Sensory Inclusive Certification allows Amherst to be recognized in its intent to provide access in important areas where access has long been obstructed or denied. And the strategies involved are universal enough to make a real difference across the board with all participants and all staff,” said Amherst Recreation Department Director Reynaud Harp.
The Amherst Recreation Department takes a step toward this goal with the help of KultureCity by becoming certified as “sensory inclusive.” This new certification will better equip the department to assist people with sensory needs by having not only the staff trained to understand people with these needs but simultaneously creating an environment that is more accommodating to the needs of those who are a part of the town’s programs and events.
“We are getting people in the door and providing them with better access to the resources we have to share. But our mission is to enrich the quality of life of all members of the community. We work with a number of participants with visible or invisible sensory disabilities that will clearly be benefitted by focused strategies that speak to their needs. But it is important to note that these training strategies have real meaning when applied to learning and recreation for a much wider range of our participants than that, as well. It is, we believe, inclusion done with a particular attention to true integration,” said Harp.
The need for sensory inclusivity training came directly from the feedback of instructors and community members in an extensive survey conducted in the fall of 2023.
“We identified strong needs in many participants in our programs, as well as some who were not participating. Access to resources that help individuals self-regulate is often the difference between a difficult experience and glowing success in something like summer camp or skill-building lessons. In taking inventory of existing programs, we used observational data and instructor feedback as a guide,” said Harp.
To remedy this, the Amherst Recreational Department’s outreach program sought out exactly what KultureCity was able to provide.
“We want to continue to grow as this initiative becomes normalized. We hope that the more people see that they are better equipped to manage their own success, the more they come to us to help them find an active, creative place in their community,” Harp said.
“KultureCity is nationally recognized in their providing these types of resources to municipalities as well as businesses. Our Outreach Program was looking for this exact type of service,” said Harp.
The Amherst Recreation Department hopes to not only promote sensory inclusivity in their department but to normalize it as well.
For more information about the town’s certification, head to: https://www.amherstma.gov/3809/Sensory-Inclusive-Certification.
