The Birmingham Zoo is becoming even more fun for kids of all ages and abilities with a new Sensory Room addition! KultureCity®, the world’s leading nonprofit focused on helping individuals with sensory needs and invisible disabilities, is now partnering with the Birmingham Zoo to build out a permanent Sensory Room in honor of Libby Hagan. The zoo has long been supportive of KultureCity, implementing comprehensive sensory features across the property’s many family attractions.
The new Sensory Room provides a safe space for kids with sensory processing challenges and their families to reset, rest, and recharge during their visit to the zoo, with soft lighting, calming visuals, sensory tools, and interactive elements. National Autism Resources explains that sensory rooms are critical to “manage overstimulation and stress or to provide sensory integration therapy,” because “too much stimulation can further escalate problem behaviors.”
The room has been designed by KultureCity’s gold-standard sensory inclusion guidelines and honors Libby Hagan. Libby suffered an injury at 12 days old in the NICU that forever impacted her and her family and inspired the creation of Libby’s Friends. After living with joy and a sense of adventure, Libby passed away on May 13, 2025, just one month short of her 11th birthday.
“This sensory room is more than a physical space,” shares KultureCity leadership. “It is a place of dignity, understanding, and belonging. Libby’s life reminds us that every child deserves access to joy and adventure—whether at school, in their community, or at the zoo.”
For more information about KultureCity’s sensory inclusion initiatives, visit kulturecity.org. To purchase tickets to the zoo, visit birminghamzoo.com.
