Photo credit: khairul nizam
by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition, and Honorary Chair, Quiet American Skies
I was delighted to read that the Gillen Brewer School, a private school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, hosted a “sensory-friendly” Neurodiversity Comic Com on Nov. 9. Gillen Brewer serves children with a “broad range of language-based learning disabilities.”
This event included comics, authors, arts and crafts and different games. It was held at Asphalt Green on the Upper East Side, and open to the public. Article writer Jennifer Amato noted that the environment of the event would be less busy and calmer.
Amato noted that Comic Con was expected to have a “manageable noise level.” So, I called a representative at the school to discuss what this really meant, as it might imply that participants would have to deal with loud sound levels. She explained that staff made an effort to limit the numbers of participants, so that the event would not reach high sound levels. I explained that when we see the word “noise,” we tend to think of hazardous sounds, so I did not want the use of the word “noise” to detract from the school’s efforts to host a safe event for students.
I hope to read further about school events set up for children that aim to provide fun and enjoyment while keeping the decibel level down.
