An Oasis of Calm in the Las Vegas Desert
Fans of the Las Vegas Raiders football team gathered recently for its home opener at Allegiant Stadium, most decked out in all black yelling “Raaaideerrrss!” to deafening refrains of the same — a back-and-forth call and reply that started hours before the game and continued throughout.
Other members of the “Raiders Nation” dressed up for the event in costumes. There were several Raiders’ Elvises, scantily-clad pirates and fans in black-spiked shoulder pads with faces painted silver and black who sat at the edge of the field in The Black Hole, the notoriously rowdy section in the South endzone, and pounded on the wall below them throughout the game.
Crowds of fans flock into Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the Raiders’ home opener. Photos courtesy of Nook
At halftime, usually a 12-minute breather from all the action, rapper Lil Jon riled up the 65,000 gathered for the Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Chargers with a high energy, loud show, complete with flashing lights.
The game was an assault on the senses, even for the most hardcore fans.
Now imagine the scene from the eyes of a fan with autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder or any neurodivergent conditions. An electric environment like an NFL home opener can quickly become overwhelming.
Neurodivergent fans have a restorative place to reset at Allegiant Stadium — in a fleet of Ford Sensory Nooks (Ford Motor Co. is sponsoring the Nook products for fans with special needs) that sit near the main entrances to the stadium. And during the Monday Night Football game, both were being used throughout the game.
Allegiant Stadium takes its guest experience seriously and has a fleet of Nooks and a Sensory Room for neurodivergent visitors.
The two at Allegiant Stadium are specially designed Sensory Nooks. All Nooks are designed to create an oasis of calm, but Nook’s designers found that adding a few important enhancements can help create a space that can positively influence mood, reduce challenging behavior and lower anxiety levels.
Nook’s Stewart Brown watched with pride as fans hopped in the Sensory Nooks to escape the noise of the packed stadium.
“It’s designed to work in public spaces, particularly event spaces, so that people who are overstimulated in those environments have the opportunity to go somewhere as a refuge and and recover and reset,” he said. “Then they can go back to the stadium or the concert or wherever it may be recharged and rested. Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to attend. It gives people an area for recovery. And it being mobile, it allows that recovery solution to be near where they are. So it could be used multiple times in multiple locations with the whole family.”
One of the Ford Sensory Nooks at Allegiant Stadium.
They create an encapsulated environment to positively influence mood, reduce challenging behavior and lower anxiety levels. It provides a calming refuge for social and emotional challenges. Sensory Nook is a practical way to reduce exclusion in the workspace, classroom and in public and it helps neurodiverse people cope with challenging environments and reduce anxiety.
Sensory Nook was designed specifically with neurodiversity in mind. It is a highly inclusive adaptable space particularly effective to address neurodiversity including autism, ADHD and dyslexia. It provides a calming refuge for social and emotional challenges and is a practical way to reduce exclusion in public, workplaces and classrooms.
The Sensory Nook pods at Allegiant Stadium have specialized features like a back wall covered in twinkling fiber optic wall carpet that visually engages neurodiverse fans. The lights have a calming effect and the carpet provides a sensory touch component.
Raiders fans are known for their rowdiness and for dressing up for the game.
Depending on where it is being used, designers can customize the Sensory Nook by choosing between a number of different modules that address specific needs for the neurodiverse. Optional support features include:
Mirror Wall Panel — Enables indirect observation and multiplies visual sensory effects. It also provokes curiosity and engagement and improve eye contact for autistic individuals.
Fiber Optic Strands — Promotes tactile interaction. The strands are visually calming while also engaging the senses. The strands have a powerful soothing effect when draped in.
LED Color Ceiling Panel — The light panel bathes the user in light, which has a powerful, positive effect on information processing. The light panel enhances the mood of the user and can improve behavior. The light can be tuned to improve dyslexia.
Interactive Rhapsody Panel — Visual and audio stimulation helps with verbal interaction and empowers self-expression.
Vibrating Seat Cushion — Haptic stimulation encourages deeper seating and relieves tension. It can also help fight ADHD and help with attention and focus.
Nebulizing Scent System — Provides positive reinforcement and can help with appetite stimulation. It can also be used for sensory and memory therapies. It can boost recall in learning environments.
Interactive LED Tube — Creates visual stimulation and cause and effect sensory engagement. It can encourage low-verbal users to vocalize.
Infinity Tunnel — Moving patterns create interactive engagement. The tunnel includes a visually calming two-way mirror.
The Sensory Nooks at Allegiant Stadium were designed to help neurodiverse visitors, it is also a calming spot for anyone using the facility. The Sensory Nooks were being used throughout the game by neurodiverse fans, other visitors looking for a break from the buzz of the game and stadium staff members who used the spot as a retreat from the pressures of work.
A family uses one of the Sensory Nooks to take a break from the action as fans stream into the stadium.
As more is understood about how overstimulation at sporting events, schools, malls and other public spaces affects those with autism, ADHD and dyslexia, forward-thinking venues are creating spaces that address neurodiversity.
Allegiant Stadium hosts about 40 events annually, with a typical year including 16 Raiders-related events, 5 UNLV football games, and more than 20 other sporting events, concerts and special events, according to LVSportsBiz. It hosted the Pro Bowl a few years ago and was the site of Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. About 750,000 visitors pass through its gates each year and the Sensory Nooks help support the 15-20% of people who are classified as neurodivergent. In the U.S. alone, 1 in 54 children have autism spectrum disorder and about 11% of American adults have ADHD.
Allegiant Stadium not only has a fleet of Sensory Nooks for its neurodivergent visitors. It also has a sensory room for guests who need a space to relax and unwind.
Allegiant is one of a growing number of stadiums that have added or are adding Sensory Nooks including Citi Stadium in New York, home of the New York Mets. Sensory Nooks are also being considered for stadiums in other Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and National Football League markets as well as several Big Ten stadiums.
In addition to sporting venues, Sensory Nooks are already helping visitors to airports, Autism Centers, corporate campuses and schools across the country and around the world.
Nook is a Certified Autism Resource, awarded by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), a body that delivers the global standard for training and certification in the areas of autism and other cognitive disorders.
The article was written by Rob Kirkbride. Here is the link to the original article: https://officeinsight.com/products/an-oasis-of-calm-in-the-las-vegas-desert/
