- May 7, 2025 - Planétarium : Experience
How do you feel when you’re invited for supper and your hosts bear in mind your preferences, your comfort, and maybe even your favorite dish? What a wonderful sensation to feel people are really expecting you, right? That’s the idea behind Sensory-friendly Moments at the Planétarium: offering autistic people and their families the security of knowing that they’re expected as part of the reserved time slots tailored to sensory sensitivities.
Keeping an open mind
The different Espace pour la vie teams approached the Sensory-friendly Moments project in an open and curious frame of mind. Before anything, there was an eagerness to do better. Next, they wanted to know what had to be adjusted. How to meet the different needs of people with autism. How to improve the experience of different audiences visiting at the same time. To help carry it off, they retained the services of the organization Giant Steps. It was with their support that Espace pour la vie embarked on a process that included audits of the five museums, the training of personnel, the development of various visitor tools, and support for a pilot project involving an adapted offer. The initial version of Sensory-friendly Moments was tested with families, groups, adults, during the week, on weekends – and this was followed by adjustments based on feedback received.
A surprising finding
“Offering an experience tailored to sensory sensitivities wasn’t as complex as we first thought,” relates Camille Janson-Marcheterre, coordinator of scientific activities at the Planétarium. “No program to reinvent, no structural modifications to be made. Still, we had to rethink the experience down to the slightest details. Are a performance venue’s codes of conduct appropriate? Let’s reduce sound intensity: of course, but to what level? How do we make theaters less dark without compromising the beauty of the starry sky? We were able to strike a balance that softened the sensory elements just enough, adapted instructions in the venues, made sensory kits available, provided access to a quiet room, and reduced venue capacity, among other things. Working within existing constraints to provide a peaceful environment was certainly a challenge, but nothing was truly insurmountable as long as we accepted the risk of being less than perfect!”
A risk worth taking
Naturally, the teams ran into obstacles. “We wanted to dim the lights in the Planétarium lobby,” says Camille Janson-Marcheterre. “That might have been just a detail, but it was technically impossible. We decided not to wait for everything to be perfect before taking action. We opted for a strategy of small steps, gradually going as far as we could go, in learning mode. And it’s never been a question of providing an experience that would meet 100 percent of the needs of every person. First because needs aren’t uniform, and then because certain individual needs are difficult to reconcile. The goal instead is to create a more sensory-inclusive space by meeting a set of needs that are common to a number of people – which we find works out well.”
One approach leads to another
“People tell us they’re really happy,” adds Camille Janson-Marcheterre. “Just the fact that they’re expected, that they’re not afraid to disturb anyone – that’s a winning setup for a successful visit. Staff also feel better equipped, while knowing we never stop learning. And that’s the leitmotif of Espace pour la vie in this initiative: remain open and keep on doing better. On that subject, a visitor preparation guide and a sensory card for the five Espace pour la vie museums will be produced at some point in the year. And, again with Giant Steps, an additional collaboration has been created: autistic young adults can now gain on-the-job experience as part of an internship at Espace pour la vie. Finally, the small-steps strategy has allowed us to take a giant step forward!”
The last Tuesday of the month (all day) and the last Sunday morning of the month (until 12:45 p.m.) are now reserved for Sensory-friendly Moments at the Planétarium. But the soothing ambiance is already appealing to visitors looking for a calmer immersive sensory experience.
The pre-visit planning guide and sensory kit, was developed in collaboration with Giant Steps for autistic visitors and are available at all five Espace pour la vie museums.. The guide includes a communication board, a sensory map, and photos to help make your visit easier.
Pre-visit planning guide for the Biodôme
Pre-visit planning guide for the Biosphère
Pre-visit planning guide for the Insectarium
