Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi has introduced a new calm room for visitors, unveiled during a three-day accessibility conference titled "From Barriers to Belonging: Accessibility in Museum Practices," running from November 3 to 5. The space is designed for neurodivergent guests, including autistic visitors, people with attention deficit disorders, older visitors living with dementia, and anyone who experiences sensory overload during a museum visit.

The room is fitted with adjustable lighting, calming soundscapes, sensory tools and fidget toys, and a mat for resting. According to the museum, no advance booking is required to use the space, and visitors can ask staff for access to the room at any point during their visit.

Alongside the calm room, the museum also launched an Accessible Exhibition Design Manual, which it describes as the first museum-specific resource of its kind in the Middle East. The manual, published in both Arabic and English, has already been reviewed and approved by the UAE Ministry of Family.

The initiatives form part of a wider push across UAE museums to better accommodate visitors with different sensory and cognitive needs, and officials say they hope the calm room and the new design manual can serve as a model for other cultural and tourism venues across the country looking to make visits easier for families with children or neurodivergent members.