Pittsburgh Cultural Trust contacts:
Diana Roth, Senior Communications Manager | roth@trustarts.org
Derek Scalzott, Senior Director, Communications and Marketing Management | scalzott@trustarts.org
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Announces Certification Achievement:
KultureCity® Certified Sensory Inclusive™ Organization
Pittsburgh, PA (September 27, 2023)─ KultureCity® has partnered with Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to make this organization Sensory Inclusive™. This new initiative will promote an accommodating and positive experience at the Cultural Trust’s Benedum Center and Byham Theater for all guests with a sensory issue, no matter their age or ability. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is excited to be joining with other KultureCity® Sensory Inclusive organizations who are serving the community throughout the city. For more information about KultureCity Sensory Inclusive™ certified locations, visit KultureCity.org.
The certification process ensures that the staff and volunteers of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust are trained by leading medical professionals on how to recognize those guests with sensory needs and how to handle a sensory overload situation. KultureCity® Sensory Bags, equipped with noise-canceling headphones (provided by Puro Sound Labs), fidget tools, verbal cue cards, and KCVIP lanyard will be available to all guests of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust who may feel overwhelmed while visiting these theaters. Lap pads will also be available.
Sensory sensitivities or challenges with sensory regulation are often experienced by individuals with autism, dementia, PTSD and other similar conditions. One of the major barriers for these individuals is sensitivity to over stimulation and noise, which can be a major part of the events or services at an organization like Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. With its new certification, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is now better prepared to assist guests with sensory sensitivities in having the most comfortable and accommodating experience possible.
Prior to their attending an event at the Benedum Center or Byham Theater, families and individuals can download the free KultureCity® App where one can view what sensory features are available and where they can access them including, how to get a KultureCity® Sensory Bag. Also, on the App is the Social Story which will provide a customized visual preview of what to expect while at the theater. The Cultural Trust’s Benedum Center and Byham Theater will also have a dedicated space in the theater with a quiet area available before and during a performance to accommodate guests with sensory sensitivities.
For more information, visit:
venue.kulturecity.org/venues/the-benedum-center
venue.kulturecity.org/venues/byham-theater
"Our communities shape our lives and to know that Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is willing to go the extra mile to ensure that everyone, no matter their ability, is included in community experiences is amazing. We’re honored to partner with Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to provide a truly inclusive experience for all guests!” - Uma Srivastava, Executive Director, KultureCity®.
Vanessa Braun, Manager of Employee Engagement and Director of Accessibility from the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust shares, “Experiencing the arts is for everyone! We are proud to be involved with KultureCity and through our partnership continue to grow the Cultural Trust’s accessibility and sensory inclusive services.” Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Ashley Rieser, Director of Volunteer Services and Front of House Guest Experience further notes, “As part of the Trust’s commitment to providing excellence in services for all guests, hundreds of Trust staff and volunteers have recently completed and received sensory-inclusive certification through KultureCity’s training program. In addition, arts organizations from Pittsburgh’s Cultural District have been invited by the Trust to participate in these training programs.”
For more information about Pittsburgh Cultural Trust accessibility accommodations, visit:
TrustArts.org/Accessibility or call guest services at 412-456-6666.
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KultureCity® is a leading non-profit recognized nationwide for using its resources to revolutionize and effect change in the community for those with sensory needs, not just those with autism. Since the program’s inception, KultureCity® has created over 1,000 Sensory Inclusive™ public and private services, organizations, events and venues in 6 countries: this includes special events such as the NFL Pro-Bowl, NFL Super Bowl, MLB World Series, and MLB
All Star Weekend.
KultureCity® has won many awards for its efforts, including the NASCAR Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award in 2017 and the 2018 Clio Sports Silver for social good in partnership with Cleveland Cavaliers/Quicken Loans Arena. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Quiet Space Sensory Room at Quicken Loans Arena was a finalist for the 2018 Stadium Business Award, KultureCity® was named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2019 and 2020 by FastCompany and recently won the Industry Partner Award in The Stadium Business Design & Development Awards 2019. KultureCity.org
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.
TrustArts.org | @CulturalTrust on Facebook · Instagram · Twitter