The Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi has opened a dedicated 'calm room' for neurodivergent visitors, timed to coincide with the three-day Accessibility Conference 2026, titled 'From Barriers to Belonging'. The space is intended for people who can become overwhelmed by busy museum environments, including autistic visitors, people with ADHD, visitors living with dementia, and those with sensory sensitivities.

The room offers dimmable lighting, calming audio, sensory kits and fidget tools, as well as a crash mat for physical comfort. No advance booking is required; visitors can simply ask museum staff to access it.

Alongside the room, the museum unveiled what it describes as the Middle East's first museum-specific Accessible Exhibition Design Manual, published in Arabic and English and approved by the UAE's Ministry of Family. The museum also became the first cultural institution in the Middle East to adopt the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Programme, which trains staff to recognise and support visitors with non-visible disabilities.

Fatma Mohammed Al Jassim, an accessibility strategist at the museum, said that when a ready-made solution does not exist, it takes ingenuity and confidence to build one from scratch.

The initiatives are the result of years of consultation between the museum, neurodivergent communities and government bodies dating back to 2022, and build on existing programmes such as Quiet Morning sessions and the Beyond Sight tactile workshops. The conference itself features 16 international case studies from countries including Portugal, Kenya, South Korea and Japan.