2026-05-29 Chat and Summaries

Opening the Universe to Everyone: 

How to Host Sensory-Friendly Programs 

in Planetariums and Museums 

with Jay Lamm

Video LINK

Below you can find a list of attendees, chat, and AI-generated notes

To see a description and schedule of all upcoming Planetarians' Zoom Seminars, visit https://www.ppadomes.org/events/online-seminars/pzs-schedule

Date and time for the next seminar:

Presenterless Discussion of How To Handle Planetarium Audience Problems  

2026 Jun 26 at 2pm PST (5pm EST, 22:00 UTC).

Resources

• Jay's contact email for follow-up questions: jlamm@lasm.org

• Article: "Opening the Universe to Everyone (Sensory-Friendly Programs)" by Jay Lamm, Director of Planetarium and Facilities, Louisiana Art and Science Museum — published in the September 2025 issue of the Planetarian, page 10. Link: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ips-planetarium.org/resource/resmgr/planetarian/2021-2040/202509planetarian.pdf

Information Below

• Attendees

• Chat

• AI-generated Notes (detailed)

Attendees

1. Alan Gould, University of California Berkeley USA

2. Rosemary Walling, Marie Drake Planetarium, Juneau, AK

3. Amie Gallagher, Raritan Valley Community College Planetarium, Branchburg, NJ

4. Marco Ávalos - Planetario Aventura (mobile) - Costa Rica

5. April Whitt - Atlanta, Georgia

6. Hillary Stephens, from Pierce College Science Dome in Lakewood, WA

7. Colleen Rials, from the Louisiana Art & Science Museum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

8. Katy Downing, Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, Bay Village (Cleveland), Ohio

9. Erin Graves, Catawba Science Center in Hickory, NC

10. Craig Jones, Stamford, Connecticut  US, in the 6 month old Planetarium at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center.

11. Izzy Check from Seattle's Pacific Science Center

12. Krista Murnane Testin, University of Nebraska Omaha, Mallory Kountze Planetarium Omaha, NE

13. Leon Snyman - Naval Hill Planetarium, Bloemfontein, South Africa

14. Amy Truksa, Whittenberger Planetarium, College of Idaho, Caldwell ID

15. ...and others

Chat

28:03 From Marco Ávalos to Everyone:

Great method of making subtitles with Premiere for the show.  That’s the way I would have to do that too for our planetarium.

33:46 From Marco Ávalos to Everyone:

Definitely like the method of the plush stars to hand out to a kid who is afraid of going inside the mobile dome.

Amy Truksa:👍

34:53 From Alan Gould to Everyone:

Article: Opening the Universe to Everyone (Sensory-Friendly Programs), Jay Lamm, Director of Planetarium and Facilities, Louisiana Art and Science Museum; in Sept 2025 Planetarian, page 10 - https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ips-planetarium.org/resource/resmgr/planetarian/2021-2040/202509planetarian.pdf

36:10 From April Whitt to Everyone:

This is an excellent presentation! Thank you.

36:22 From April Whitt to Everyone:

Thank you.

36:31 From April Whitt to Everyone:

Thank you

40:45 From Katy Downing to Everyone:

Google live translate is getting better!

41:11 From Katy Downing to Everyone:

We have guests that use it for translating our shows in English to their native languages.

43:14 From Amie Gallagher to Everyone:

Great topic.  I'm sorry I have to leave early today.

49:00 From April Whitt to Everyone:

I asked how those strobe glasses work, and this came up: These glasses solve the problem by detecting sudden brightness spikes. A microcontroller evaluates the flash pattern — is it periodic? Chaotic? A one-off? Within 2 milliseconds, electronically controlled lenses darken, blocking the flash before the pupil can even begin to constrict.

Krista Testin:👍

52:17 From Izzy (she/her) to Everyone:

Thank you for hosting! I have to head out, but I appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge

54:55 From Marco Ávalos to Everyone:

https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Stress-Carnival-Student-Fillers/dp/B07ZZ6VXVN

55:03 From Marco Ávalos to Everyone:

THere’s a link for the plush stars.

Krista Testin:🤩

57:16 From Amy Truksa to Everyone:

This is helpful! I've had a couple of plush astronauts to give toddles something to keep them busy throughout the show. I will make stars available for them and for sensory guests.

57:31 From April Whitt to Everyone:

Replying to "THere’s a link for the plush stars.":

Thank you!

58:07 From Amy Truksa to Everyone:

I keep low light level for our toddler shows and hadn't considered them for diverse groups. I will talk with those groups in advance from here on out.

58:42 From Krista Testin to Everyone:

I've been using Celestial Buddies Celestial Buddies

Amy Truksa:👍

02:49 From Amy Truksa to Everyone:

Thank you, thank you, Jay and all of you!!

03:00 From Erin Graves to Everyone:

Thanks so much for the presentation!

03:25 From April Whitt to Everyone:

Excellent presentation. Thanks!

05:10 From Amy Truksa to Everyone:

I would let dogs in the planetarium!! Good excuse to keep out the carpet. :-)

05:55 From Jay Lamm to Everyone:

jlamm@lasm.org

AI-Generated Summary

This AI-generated summary has not been edited for accuracy nor does not replace watching the full video. If you find any incorrect or misleading information in the AI summaries, you can let us know. Our contact information is here.

Overview

This seminar featured a presentation by Jay, Director of Planetarium and Facilities at the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium and ExxonMobil Space Theater at the Louisiana Art and Science Museum (LASM). The session focused on how planetariums and museums can become more sensory-sensitive and inclusive, covering practical strategies, tools, partnerships, and technical methods to accommodate visitors with neurodivergent and sensory processing needs.

Key Concepts or Theories

• Sensory-Sensitive Facility: A venue designed to minimize overwhelming stimuli, promote calmness, and accommodate those with sensory processing challenges through environmental adaptations and specialized tools.

• Sensory Inclusion: The practice of adapting public spaces so that individuals with sensory needs can participate comfortably, championed by organizations such as Kulture City.

• Neurodivergence: A broad term encompassing autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, sensory processing disorders, as well as conditions such as dementia, Parkinson's, PTSD, anxiety disorders, and stroke recovery.

• Sensory Sensitive Second Sunday: A recurring monthly event at LASM where the facility and programming are specifically tailored to visitors with sensory needs.

• Subtitle/Closed Captioning Workflow: A technical process using Adobe Premiere Pro's AI feature and After Effects with the native VR fulldome plugin to generate and warp subtitle files for dome presentations.

Important Questions Raised

• What are the first steps for a planetarium or museum to become sensory-sensitive certified?

• How can smaller or portable dome facilities adapt sensory-friendly practices given their limited space?

• What guidelines exist for managing flashing lights or rapid visual transitions in sensory-friendly shows?

• How can subtitles be created and integrated into dome presentations across different software systems?

• How do strobe-reducing glasses work, and how effective are they in a planetarium setting?

Key Takeaways and Summary of Learning Objectives

• A sensory-sensitive facility accommodates a wide range of visitors, including those with autism, ADHD, PTSD, anxiety disorders, dementia, Parkinson's, migraines, and stroke recovery — not solely those on the autism spectrum.

• Partnering with organizations such as Kulture City (national) and local childhood development centers (e.g., McMains Children's Development Center in Louisiana) is a practical starting point for implementation.

• The Sensory Sensitive Second Sunday program at LASM resulted in a 15% increase in planetarium and museum attendance over a seven-month rollout period.

• Key environmental adaptations include reduced volume (approximately 50 dB), blue cove lighting at 50% brightness, open doors, closed captioning, and sensory bags containing headphones, strobe-reducing glasses, fidget toys, and visual communication cards.

• Subtitles for dome shows can be generated using Adobe Premiere Pro's AI feature, then warped for the dome using After Effects with the native VR fulldome plugin, or alternatively processed entirely within Premiere Pro.

• Therapy dogs, plush star stress-relief toys, and quiet designated areas are highly effective engagement and comfort tools for sensory-sensitive visitors.

• Sensory-inclusive initiatives align with institutional mission statements and can support grant and sponsorship eligibility.

• For facilities unable to afford Kulture City certification ($750 initial fee), DIY sensory kits sourced from Amazon (approximately $200) are a viable alternative.

Topic 1: What Is a Sensory-Sensitive Facility and Who Does It Serve?

A sensory-sensitive facility is a venue intentionally designed to reduce overwhelming stimuli and promote a calm, welcoming environment for visitors with sensory processing challenges. Common features include soft or adjustable lighting, sound-absorbing materials, weighted seating, low-stimulus retreat rooms, and tools such as fidget toys, sensory maps, and communication cards.

Jay emphasized that sensory sensitivity extends well beyond autism and ADHD. The population served includes individuals recovering from strokes, those living with dementia or Parkinson's disease, people prone to migraines, and those with anxiety disorders or PTSD. This broad scope makes sensory-inclusive programming relevant to a wide cross-section of museum and planetarium visitors.

Examples of venues already adopting these practices include AMC movie theaters in Louisiana, dentist offices, Walmart (which has introduced sensory-sensitive hours with dimmed lights and locked scrolling screens), and museums and planetariums nationwide.

Relevant Q&A

Question: Does the sensory-sensitive programming primarily serve visitors on the autism spectrum?

Answer: No. Jay clarified that while autism and ADHD are commonly associated with sensory needs, the initiative also serves people recovering from strokes, those with dementia, Parkinson's, migraines, anxiety disorders, and PTSD — covering a much wider range of visitors than many assume.

Topic 2: Partnering with Kulture City and Local Development Centers

Jay outlined two primary organizational partners that guided LASM's sensory-inclusive program: Kulture City and McMains Children's Development Center.

Kulture City is a national nonprofit that certifies venues through a sensory inclusion program. It provides staff training, signage, sensory bags, promotional materials, press releases, and a searchable app that helps families locate certified venues. The initial certification cost is $750, which includes staff training (requiring at least 50% of staff to be trained — LASM achieved 93%), and the delivery of sensory supplies. Annual re-accreditation costs $500 per year. Each institution receives five sensory bags as part of the initial package, with additional bags available for $50 each. Institutions with up to 1,000 visitors qualify for the standard package.

McMains Children's Development Center (a local Baton Rouge organization) provided a physical walkthrough of the LASM facility to identify optimal quiet area locations, configure the planetarium environment, and determine appropriate volume and lighting levels for sensory-sensitive programming.

Jay encouraged facilities in other regions to identify their own local childhood development and therapeutic centers as partners, citing examples such as Easterseals of Central Illinois and the Autism Center at the Manning Family Children's Hospital.

For facilities unable to commit to Kulture City's fees, Jay noted that comparable DIY kits are available on Amazon for approximately $200, though these do not include the promotional benefits of being listed on Kulture City's app and website.

Relevant Q&A

Question: How many sensory bags does Kulture City provide, and can you purchase more?

Answer: Colleen from LASM clarified that institutions receive five bags as part of the initial package. Additional bags can be purchased for $50 each. The standard package applies to institutions serving up to 1,000 people.

Question: Is the annual re-accreditation fee mandatory, and do you have to return the bags if you discontinue?

Answer: The re-accreditation fee ($500/year) applies for the duration of the contract. The bags and their contents are yours to keep regardless of whether you continue with Kulture City, and the items remain useful independently of the certification.

Topic 3: Preparing the Planetarium — Environmental and Programming Adaptations

Jay detailed the specific modifications made at LASM's planetarium for Sensory Sensitive Second Sunday events:

• Volume: Standard show volume is 70–75 dB. For sensory-sensitive shows, volume is reduced to approximately 50 dB, a level determined collaboratively with McMains.

• Lighting: LED cove lights around the dome are set to 50% brightness in blue. This level is sufficient to provide comfort without washing out the projected show content.

• Doors: Planetarium doors are kept open during sensory-sensitive shows to prevent visitors from feeling enclosed or trapped — a recommendation from McMains.

• Subtitles/Closed Captioning: Selected shows are presented with subtitles, including Into America's Wild, Cosmic Colors, Audio Universe, From the Earth to the Universe, and Mysteries of Your Brain.

• Sensory Bags: Available at the front desk and stored in the planetarium at all times — not only on Sensory Sensitive Second Sundays. Bags contain noise-reducing headphones, strobe-reduction glasses, fidget toys, and visual communication cards.

• Quiet Areas: Two designated quiet areas are maintained throughout the facility, equipped with sensory pea pod chairs, soft mats, fidget toys, headphones, and weighted pads.

• Art Areas: Adapted with oversized crayons, paintbrush adapters, pencil grips, and easy-grip paint tools.

• Star Stress-Relief Toys: Plush squeezable stars are given to children who are reluctant to enter the planetarium. Staff tell children that the star "fell from the sky and wants to see its friends again," giving the child a sense of mission and guardianship. Children keep the stars. These are available in bulk on Amazon (approximately $10 for 30 stars).

• Movement in Live Shows: Jay noted that he always keeps dome movements as slow and gradual as possible to prevent disorientation, avoiding quick jumps or rapid star reorientations. The live Sky Tonight segment is shortened and paced more slowly on sensory-sensitive days.

Relevant Q&A

Question: What adaptations are recommended for smaller or portable dome facilities that cannot designate quiet areas?

Answer: Jay recommended partnering with a local childhood development center to assess the specific space and provide tailored recommendations. Marco noted that for a 5-meter mobile dome, having noise-reducing headphones available and using gradual color light transitions to ease children into darkness are practical strategies. The plush star concept was also identified as transferable to mobile settings.

Question: Are there guidelines for managing flashing lights or rapid visual transitions in sensory-friendly shows?

Answer: Jay noted that strobe-reducing glasses included in the sensory bags can help mitigate the impact of flashing content. He also referenced pre-show verbal warnings used for visually intense shows (e.g., Mesmerica), advising audiences to close their eyes and listen to the music if visuals become overwhelming. No specific formal threshold guidelines were cited; facilities are currently using best judgment.

Question: How do strobe-reducing glasses work?

Answer: April shared research indicating that the glasses contain microcontrollers that detect sudden brightness spikes. Within approximately 2 milliseconds — before the pupil can constrict — the electronically controlled lenses darken to block the flash.

Topic 4: Creating Subtitles for Dome Shows

Jay presented a detailed technical workflow for generating and integrating subtitles into dome presentations, acknowledging that methods vary by system and software.

Jay's Workflow (for systems without native SRT playback):

1. Import the center channel audio from the show's 5.1 mix into Adobe Premiere Pro.

2. Use Premiere Pro's AI feature to auto-generate a subtitle text file from the center channel (voiceover only).

3. Review and correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and any technical terminology.

4. Center all subtitle text within the 4K (4096x4096) frame and export as a PNG sequence with a transparent background.

5. Import the PNG subtitle sequence and the original show frame sequence into After Effects.

6. Apply the native VR fulldome plugin to warp the subtitle layer for the dome and position it at the bottom horizon of the dome.

7. Export the combined sequence as a new frame sequence, then re-slice and re-encode to produce a separate subtitled version of the show.

For systems with native SRT playback: Jay noted that Adobe Premiere Pro can export the AI-generated subtitle track directly as an SRT file, which can then be played alongside the show without re-exporting the entire video. Matching frame rates between the SRT file and the show file is essential for synchronization.

Marco's alternative method (within Premiere Pro only): Apply a lens distortion effect (horizontal decentering) and corner pin within Premiere Pro to warp subtitles for the dome, without requiring After Effects or a third-party plugin.

Other options mentioned: Phone apps that generate live subtitles in real time (with noted limitations in accuracy); Google Live Translate (noted as improving); and some facilities using live subtitle apps for language translation purposes.

Relevant Q&A

Question: Is there a simpler method for generating subtitles without using After Effects?

Answer: Marco described a workflow entirely within Premiere Pro using lens distortion and corner pin effects to warp subtitles for the dome. Jay confirmed this is a valid approach, noting that the native VR fulldome plugin offers additional customization but is not strictly necessary.

Question: What is the time investment for creating subtitled show versions?

Answer: Jay estimated approximately one and a half to two weeks per show for the full process of generating, rendering, slicing, encoding, and uploading. He noted that upgrading to a system with native SRT playback (such as Dark Matter) would significantly reduce this workload.

Topic 5: Outreach, Promotion, and Outcomes

Rollout Strategy: LASM initially launched the Sensory Sensitive Second Sunday program quietly to allow time for fine-tuning before broader promotion. Key outreach methods included:

• Attending community events such as Rare Disease Day in downtown Baton Rouge to introduce the program to relevant vendors and organizations.

• Coordinating social media with partner organizations including the Autism Society and Be Like Buddy.

• Submitting event listings to downtown development area "event of the week" notifications.

• Getting listed on parent-facing websites and autism event directories.

• Hosting Therapy Dogs of Baton Rouge and Bayou Buddy Therapy Dogs at each event — identified as the single most popular attraction, with dogs beginning to recognize returning families.

Outcomes (7-month rollout):

• 15% increase in planetarium and museum attendance on Sensory Sensitive Second Sundays.

• Higher attendance correlated with partnerships with Capital Area Autism Network, Families Helping Families of Greater Baton Rouge, and the Autism Society of Greater Baton Rouge.

• Positive feedback from general (non-sensory-specific) visitors who appreciated lower volume levels and subtitled shows.

Future Plans: LASM is pursuing additional sponsorships and partnerships to sustain and grow the program, and is exploring ways to make Sensory Sensitive Sundays accessible to families who cannot afford regular admission, including alignment with existing free admission days.

Relevant Q&A

Question: Do visitors who are hearing or vision impaired specifically gravitate toward the Sensory Sensitive Second Sunday shows?

Answer: Jay noted that while groups with auditory needs have attended (and the show Audio Universe is particularly well-suited for them), the primary audience for Sensory Sensitive Second Sundays has been visitors on the autism spectrum. He acknowledged this is an area worth monitoring more closely.

Question: Do general visitors respond positively to the sensory-friendly adaptations such as lower volume and subtitles?

Answer: Yes. Jay confirmed that non-sensory-specific visitors have expressed appreciation for the lower volume and subtitled shows. The lights-on setting is maintained only one day per month to preserve the standard immersive planetarium experience on other days.

Suggestions

• Facilities interested in Kulture City certification can contact Kulture City directly to set up an invoice and contract (initial cost: $750; annual re-accreditation: $500/year).

• Planetariums and museums are encouraged to identify and reach out to local childhood development and therapeutic centers to conduct a facility walkthrough and provide sensory-inclusive recommendations.

• Attendees interested in implementing sensory-friendly programming can source DIY sensory kit materials from Amazon as a lower-cost alternative (approximately $200).

• Plush star stress-relief toys (bulk packs) are available on Amazon — a link was shared in the chat by Marco.

• Facilities using Adobe Premiere Pro can begin experimenting with the AI subtitle generation feature for existing shows.

Supplemental Resources

• Article: "Opening the Universe to Everyone (Sensory-Friendly Programs)" by Jay Lamm, Director of Planetarium and Facilities, Louisiana Art and Science Museum — published in the September 2025 issue of the Planetarian, page 10. Link: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ips-planetarium.org/resource/resmgr/planetarian/2021-2040/202509planetarian.pdf

• Kulture City — nonprofit sensory inclusion certification organization with a venue-finder app for families: searchable via the Kulture City app.

• Amazon listing for bulk plush star stress-relief toys (shared by Marco in chat): https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Stress-Carnival-Student-Fillers/dp/B07ZZ6VXVN/

• Native VR fulldome plugin for Adobe After Effects — used for warping subtitle sequences for dome projection.

• Audio Universe — a planetarium show recommended for visitors with auditory impairments, illustrating celestial movement through sound.

• Google Live Translate — mentioned as an improving tool for real-time subtitle generation and language translation during live shows.