General Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang, Central Java, is currently offering a multisensory room in the waiting room area specifically for autistic children, as one of the inclusive services of state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I.
"Today, we open the first-ever sensory room at the Indonesian airport and also the first in the Asia-Pacific," President Director of PT Angkasa Pura I Faik Fahmi stated in Semarang on Monday.
Six airports in Europe and the United States currently offer the multisensory room facility: the Heathrow International Airport in England; Shannon International Airport in Ireland; Pittshburg International Airport in Russia; and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Lehigh Valley International Airport, and Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in the United States, Fahmi pointed out.
The objective behind operating these multisensory rooms is to specially offer autistic children a calming stimulant, help them cope with stress, and placate their tantrums. Two types of rooms are offered, with each having specific functions, specifically the white room to proffer a relaxing effect and the black room to facilitate the children's perception of the surrounding environment.
The multisensory room, measuring 3.6 meters by 10 meters (or around 11 feet x 32 feet), is equipped with floor and wall mattresses, balls, beanbags, aquatic bubble tube, changing-colors LED, laser finger, and vestibular boards.
In the near future, PT Angkasa Pura I aims to build and develop multisensory rooms at other airports in Indonesia, Fahmi remarked.
"We are going to develop this facility and provide it at other airports since we are concerned about the special needs of our customers. The next one will be at Yogyakarta International Airport, the work for which is currently in progress," he added.
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