Presley’s Place Inspires Change in Pittsburgh and Beyond

When Rachel Masilamani took her son on his first plane ride in 2024, she knew it would be beneficial for them to stop at Presley’s Place at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Masilamani’s son, Malcolm, age 9, is on the autism spectrum and gets nervous in unfamiliar situations and new environments. Presley’s Place provided Malcolm the opportunity to explore a fully functional airplane cabin simulator and enjoy a quiet, calming space before his trip to Rhode Island to visit his grandparents.

“There’s space where you can practice doing what you’re about to do, this new experience,” his mother said. “It’s just a wonderful thing to offer to people.”

Masilamani first heard about Presley’s Place, which opened in 2019, through friends who also have a child with special needs.

“I tell everybody about it now,” she said. “I do a lot of research, and I’m always looking for this kind of thing.”

An Accessibility Blueprint

Presley’s Place originated when PIT CEO Christina Cassotis embraced an idea proposed by Jason Rudge, a heavy equipment operator at Pittsburgh International Airport, whose son Presley has autism.

But the buzz surrounding the sensory room, which has received numerous accolades from architects to Fast Company Magazine, has been anything but quiet.

The space, which even appeared on NBC’s Today show, has inspired initiatives at airports in Seattle-Tacoma, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as in Australia, Singapore and Canada.

But the influence goes beyond airports and has been a blueprint for schools, hospitals, museums, zoos and libraries.

Presley’s Place also has been a model for the Pittsburgh region, which has increasingly embraced services for people with autism or sensory sensitivities.

In 2022, Autism Connection supported the efforts of Judge Jennifer McCrady, who was inspired by Presley’s Place to create a sensory-friendly room in the Family Division of the Allegheny County Courthouse.

“I think that the courthouse is really one of the most exciting things to see,” Tammi Morton, Director of Operations at Autism Connection of PA, said. “It is when families are in the greatest need.”

Morton said, despite lots of publicity, it takes word-of-mouth to reach families.

“Sometimes it takes a family to say, ‘Hey, we went out, it was great, you should try it,’” she said.

Pittsburgh Resources

Masilamani has taken Malcolm to Phipps Conservatory, which offers Sensory Friendly Hours with minimized lights and sounds and smaller crowd sizes in collaboration with the nonprofit Autism Connection of Pennsylvania.

The family also takes advantage of sensory bags provided at venues such as the PPG Paints Arena. The bags include noise-canceling headphones, a fidget tool and other helpful resources.

Malcolm’s mother said that because of the help he’s received along the way, Malcom has had positive experiences and created good memories during their outings.

“Sometimes he’ll take the headphones off and hand me the backpack and be right there ready to participate,” she said.

Phipps and PPG Paints are among the 16 sites across the region that are certified members of the national nonprofit KultureCity, which focuses on sensory accessibility and acceptance.

KultureCity provides the sensory bags to the sites, along with training and resources. Medical and neurodivergent professionals guide staff on how to recognize guests with sensory needs and how to handle a sensory overload situation.

The KultureCity app lists its partner sites and provides resources for visitors upon arrival. A visual cue card allows an individual to tap an icon, triggering a voice that expresses their needs (some examples are headphones, sunglasses, a snack, and a quiet area). The app also includes a “feeling thermometer” where individuals can tap an emoji (angry, calm, worried, terrified) to indicate their emotions in a way that they might otherwise find difficult to express.

Phipps’ sensory bag contains verbal cue cards as well as headphones, fidget tools and weighted lap pads, which can provide deep pressure stimulation to help individuals feel comfortable and calm.

Some sites that partner with KultureCity have their own sensory rooms that reflect the style of Presley’s Place. PNC Park’s sensory space includes bubble walls, sensory art and touch panels and bean bag chairs.

VisitPittsburgh provides a list of sports arenas, cultural organizations and other venues that offer resources to make their spaces welcoming to all. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Prime Stage Theatre offer sensory-friendly performances. The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh hosts sensory-friendly afternoons on the second Tuesday of every month. Even Neville Roller Dome has offered sensory skate sessions with low-volume music, non-flickering lights, the option for noise-canceling headphones, and limited crowd size.

Going Beyond the Expected

Morton said whether it’s a sensory kit or an event designed for those with complex needs, it’s “a welcome message.”

“When we see that organizations have put thought and effort into making space for us and our loved ones, we feel like we’re a part of the community,” she said. “It expresses: ‘We thought of your needs. You belong.’”

However, sensory kits alone often do not fully address issues of anxiety.

“Many families already have their loved ones’ favorite objects on hand,” Morton said. “At a sensory-friendly event, I offered a parent a fidget toy for her child who was in distress. She said, ‘She doesn’t need a thing. She needs time and space.’ It’s really about creating a safe environment.”

That’s why sensory rooms like Presley’s Place are so significant.

At the Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center in Sewickley, sensory-friendly screenings are part of the regular programming. CEO Carolina Thor said accessibility has been a key part of the nonprofit’s mission since opening in 2017.

“We learned about the demand, and we learned from parents, from families, who were very open in sharing with us the importance of sensory-friendly screenings,” she said. “Their direct feedback before and after these screenings made our entire team very determined to keep this going.”

During sensory-friendly screenings, the lights are dimmed, the sound is often adjusted to a lower volume, and the doors of the screening room remain open.

“If a child wants to get up repeatedly and run a little bit in the lobby, well, they can do so,” Thor said.

Tickets are discounted, and extra staff members are present to accommodate any needs that arise. While the screening itself is enjoyable for the kids, Thor said, parents of older children appreciate the opportunity to help their teens navigate the process of buying a ticket or purchasing concessions in a low-pressure environment. Families also appreciate the opportunity to experience a movie together.

“At times, the children with special needs go to different schools than their siblings, partake in different activities,” she said. “In this environment, our families can enjoy the film together. And parents really voiced their appreciation for that, and also just for the comfort of being understood and feeling at ease, understanding that the other parents in the audience shared similar circumstances.”

A Shared Mission

The Lindsay partners with Band Together Pittsburgh, a group founded in 2016 to use music to inspire and enrich the lives of those on the autism spectrum. It also offers autism-friendly Open Mic sessions in its Community Room. Band Together provides drum circles, music therapy and numerous other services across the region. The Lindsay also partners with Azure Family Concerts Pittsburgh to offer free sensory-friendly family concerts.

Azure Executive Director Dr. Anitra Birnbaum said her organization was established to remove as many barriers as possible for neurodivergent individuals and their families.

“Our programs are not only sensory-friendly, but also uniquely welcoming of all behaviors,” she said. “During an Azure concert, audience members are encouraged to dance, wander, fidget, vocalize, or express themselves in any way that feels comfortable and natural.”

All Azure concerts are free, and they’re short — no more than 45 minutes. Audience members are offered participation materials, such as egg shakers and scarves, as well as noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys and access to a quiet area. Afterward, the audience is invited to an “instrument petting zoo,” where they can see and explore the musical instruments up close.

Birnbaum’s oldest son, who is neurotypical, enjoys the Steel City Icebergs, a greater Pittsburgh special hockey team, and she’s excited about the new Outdoor Discovery Space and Sensory Nature Trail at the Frick Environmental Center.

Overall, she said, Pittsburgh provides so much for him to enjoy.

“The number of disability advocacy groups and resources that you can find in Pittsburgh, and my own personal experience here with my autistic son, demonstrate that the Pittsburgh community is very supportive of disability inclusion,” she said. “I have heard from people living in other cities that they don’t have the wealth and breadth of inclusive opportunities offered in Pittsburgh.”

Flying Forward

Azure distributes a monthly e-newsletter and promotes events on its social media pages. It also takes its programs into schools as well as to theaters like the Lindsay.

Morton said she and her family appreciate the Lindsay’s sensory-friendly screenings and programming. The screenings are often listed in Autism Connection’s weekly e-blast full of family opportunities in the region.

“I feel like sometimes the disability community is in a bubble, and I’m absolutely stunned whenever I hear somebody say, ‘What’s sensory friendly?’” she said. “A lot of people don’t even know. [They ask], ‘What’s neurotypical?’ ‘What’s neurodivergent?’ or ‘What does autism actually mean?’”

Morton said she that’s why she appreciates the thoughtfulness that is behind Presley’s Place, which is located near gate A9 in Concourse A.

“What I like most is the atmosphere. It can be difficult to think clearly when under stress, especially in a bustling airport, and it helps to have access to the interactive map of the terminal and real-time flight information,” she said. “It gives an opportunity to focus and plan without distractions.”

She also noted that the bathroom, which has an adult changing table and an adjustable sink, is excellent for travelers with loved ones with complex needs.

Over the past five years, Presley’s Place has served countless families. The quiet rooms offer respite, the bubble towers calm, and the airplane interior cabin replica provides confidence. At the entrance, there’s a transitional space between the concourse and the other rooms, equipped with real-time flight info and an interactive terminal map.

PIT set the standard when it opened its own dedicated sensory space, and other airports and facilities quickly followed suit.

Last month, Masilamani and her family were preparing for another flight, and she hadn’t given a second thought as to whether or not Malcolm might be feeling nervous.

“It wasn’t on my mind because [our first trip to Presley’s Place] helped alleviate all our stress,” she said.

Top photo: The sensory room in the Family Division of the Allegheny County Courthouse. (Photo courtesy of the Honorable Jennifer McCrady).