Sensory Rooms for Individuals to Develop their Senses within Government-owned Sports and Cultural Facilities

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether the Ministry will consider constructing sensory rooms, which are specially designed rooms that combine a range of stimuli to help individuals develop and engage their senses, within Government-owned sports and cultural facilities.

Our publicly funded arts, heritage and sports facilities allow people from different backgrounds and abilities to come together to create common experiences, develop empathy for one another and build shared memories. We strive to ensure that these cultural and sports facilities are accessible to all Singaporeans, including individuals with sensory needs.

Some of our cultural institutions have dedicated sensory rooms and programmes for individuals with sensory needs and we are progressively doing more to ensure our spaces are inclusive.

The National Museum of Singapore's (NMS's) Quiet Room, and National Gallery Singapore's (NGS's) Calm Room, are safe spaces for visitors who might experience sensory overload to calm down before resuming their museum visits, particularly individuals on the autism spectrum.

NMS has recently launched the Reunion Space and Café, a dedicated social space for seniors, which also has features sensitive to those with mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

Our cultural institutions work closely with community partners, such as SG Enable, to introduce inclusive programming and initiatives for people with additional needs and their caregivers.

NMS opens an hour earlier on selected days monthly, also known as "Quiet Mornings", to allow these visitors to learn about Singapore's heritage in a quieter and calmer environment. Esplanade also presents Relaxed Performances under its PLAYtime! series, with modifications, such as adjusted lightings and sound levels and calm spaces.

Both Esplanade and NGS have also worked with the Agency for Integrated Care to become dementia-friendly spaces.

These initiatives are complemented by the National Arts Council and National Heritage Board's ongoing efforts to build capabilities among the arts and cultural organisations, museums, practitioners, as well as volunteers to strengthen inclusive programming.

For sporting events organised by Sport Singapore (SportSG) involving individuals with special needs, SportSG ensures that there is a designated calm or quiet room available for participants who may experience sensory overload during the event. SportSG is also in the process of identifying suitable rooms in our existing Sports Centres which can be repurposed into such calm or quiet spaces and training its Sport Centres staff to be equipped to render the necessary support.