Birmingham Zoo Receives Angela Peterson Excellence in Diversity Award

The Birmingham Zoo has been nationally recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for establishing excellence in diversity and inclusion with the Angela Peterson Excellence in Diversity Award, significant achievement, for our Sensory Inclusive Zoo Initiative.

President & CEO of the Birmingham Zoo Chris Pfefferkorn is proud of the zoo’s commitment to improving guests’ experience and inclusiveness through programs and community partnerships. He said, “I am proud of our sensory inclusive initiative and how it has grown to inspire other AZA accredited zoos and aquariums to also become sensory inclusive. We’ve heard people say they struggle to find places to take their children that are inclusive. We listened to parents and took the steps to make our zoo inclusive, so adults and children with Autism can come and truly enjoy their time with us. The Birmingham Zoo has created a connection to the community that is profoundly unique and impactful to everyone involved.”

The Birmingham Zoo and KultureCity partnered in 2015 to become the first AZA accredited zoo in the United States to become sensory inclusive. The goal of the initiative was to raise awareness among zoo staff and throughout the community for children and adults who have sensory processing needs. Our zoo is a designated “sensory inclusive facility” where families with children who have sensory processing needs have access to a variety of resources, such as designated quiet zones, headphone zones, sensory bags with noise canceling headphones, fidget toys and weighted lap pads. Zoo staff is trained to understand sensory processing and how to best serve guests with sensory sensitivity.

Roger Torbert, vice president of education at the Birmingham Zoo, said, “Our work with KultureCity is a ‘game changer’ for many families in our community.” The Birmingham Zoo aims to improve our capacity and increase accessibility by helping visitors as they explore throughout Zoo.

We share this Excellence in Diversity Award honor with the Akron Zoo in Akron, Ohio. By becoming certified sensory inclusive, both the Akron Zoo and Birmingham Zoo have increased accessibility for guests with sensory processing needs and have created an inclusive environment for all visitors on a daily basis.

Submitted by Samil Baker, Birmingham Zoo