Salvador Bahia Airport Launches Accessibility Program and Opens Multisensory Room

Salvador Bahia Airport, part of the VINCI Airports network, inaugurated the first multisensory room at Salvador Airport on Thursday (8) and launched LUMI, a program bringing together initiatives to improve support and accessibility for passengers with different needs. The new space was designed to provide a controlled sensory environment, greater predictability and resources to help passengers regulate sensory and emotional responses to conditions that may not be immediately apparent, such as autism, ADHD and anxiety, among others.

The multisensory room was designed to provide planned and controlled environmental stimuli, with resources that may help reduce stress, prevent episodes of distress and support sensory regulation for people who need this type of assistance. Equipment was selected with a focus on stimuli related to the proprioceptive system, which is associated with body awareness and activities involving strength and compression, and may have a calming and organizing effect.

At the entrance, for example, a pathway featuring a Bosu balance trainer, which passengers navigate while pulling a suitcase, stimulates proprioceptive discrimination and deep tactile input. The airplane-shaped structure with weighted cushions provides similar stimuli. A tactile panel allows visitors to explore different textures, while airplane seats equipped with massage functions combine the familiarity of the flight environment with proprioceptive input and slow vestibular stimulation provided by a vibrating platform.

“The room was designed around emotional and sensory regulation, with particular attention to making the experience more predictable for passengers preparing for a flight and providing resources that may help promote a calmer state. That is why we selected materials that sink, vibrate, provide massage or offer weight and compression, primarily stimulating the proprioceptive system,” explains Adriana Balaguer, the occupational therapist who provided consulting services for the room’s design.

Beyond its sensory resources, the space aims to make the airport experience more predictable and provide a place where passengers can regain their balance when faced with sensory overload. The initiative considers not only individual well-being but also the reduction of stress for companions and others involved in the travel journey.

Program Focused on Passenger Support

During the inauguration event, Salvador Bahia Airport also launched LUMI, a program bringing together initiatives to improve support and accessibility for passengers with different needs, including people with autism, ADHD and anxiety, among other conditions. With the slogan “Illuminating the Way to a Smoother Journey,” LUMI was developed to bring together and give a unified identity to accessibility initiatives aimed at people who may face barriers when traveling, even when their conditions are not immediately apparent. The program includes internal staff training, accessible informational materials, travel guidance booklets, sunflower-symbol identification lanyards, and physical and digital signage throughout the terminal.

The development of LUMI also draws on international guidelines and best practices for accessibility for people with non-visible conditions. The program’s visual identity was developed with input from people with lived experience of these issues, including neurodivergent individuals and family members, and incorporates visual elements designed to make information easier to read and understand.

Following its launch, the program will bring together Salvador Bahia Airport’s various passenger support initiatives, with further measures planned to expand the assistance available throughout the passenger journey.

“Accessibility is part of the experience we want to provide at Salvador Bahia Airport and must take into account the different ways each person experiences their journey through the terminal. With LUMI, we are taking an important step toward broadening this perspective and turning inclusion into concrete actions that offer passengers greater support, autonomy and safety. The multisensory room is one of these initiatives and reflects our commitment to making the airport an increasingly accessible space, equipped to welcome and support people with different needs,” says Julio Ribas, CEO of Salvador Bahia Airport.

(Photos: Will Recarey)