Joe Ingles, Milwaukee Bucks Team Up For A More Sensory-Inclusive Experience

For professional athletes, who spend a significant portion of their life on the road and away from their families, there are few greater evenings than when their children can attend one of their games.

That in and of itself is often a difficult proposition just
just
by the nocturnal nature of sports scheduling, combined with the often nomadic lifestyle of a pro athlete who often finds his or herself moving from city to city, frequently on short notice, while spouses remain “home” with children. But it becomes even more complicated when those children have special needs.

Which is why Milwaukee Bucks forward Joe Ingles has used the platform that comes with playing in the National Basketball Association to help make things just a little easier for all parents of children with special needs attend Bucks games this season.

He and his wife, Renae, a former netball star in their native Australia, provided funds for the Bucks to upgrade and enhance two sensory at the Bucks’ arena, giving those with sensory issues — especially children — a safe and comfortable place to retreat when the aural and visual spectacle that is an NBA game gets to be a bit too much.

“To give people the opportunity to come out of their homes, to no longer withdraw from the community, and come and be a part of Bucks basketball and events here is what this is all about,” Renae Ingles said during ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The rooms, which are located on the main and upper concourses of the five-year-old facility, include a soft-carpeted walls and an anxiety-reducing sparkle cube along with other tools and amenities, including a television to continue following the game.

For the Ingles, the establishment of such spaces is personal. Their son, Jacob, was diagnosed with autism in 2019 when Joe was playing for the Utah Jazz. Since then, the couple has used their platform to not only spread awareness of sensory issues, but also provide support for those dealing with such issues.

For example, there was 21-year-old David Bloch, who went viral after his mother posted to Twitter that Bloch, who had been non-verbal for much of his life had asked “would anyone like me.”

Responses of support poured in from new friends from around the globe. Among the responses was one from Ingles, who invited the young and and his family to be his and his wife’s guest at an upcoming Jazz game, Tweeting: “Kerry, there is 2 people in Utah that like your son a lot, my wife Renae Ingles & I! We would love to invite you guys to a Jazz game!plz let me know & I’ll sort it out!”

The Ingles have also teamed up with non-profit group KultureCity, which assists organizations in better engaging with people with sensory needs along with other, less-publicized efforts, like providing financial support for families.

The updated rooms will be available Sunday, April 2 when the Bucks host Philadelphia in Milwaukee and since that s also World Autism Awareness Day, the team is planning a special Autism Awareness Night, with lower in-game sounds, no strobe lights and putting a pause on the usual on-and-off light shows that have become commonplace in NBA arenas.

These, and a number of other efforts, are meant to make the game more sensory-inclusive for fans, including Ingles’ son but just in case it’s still a little too triggering, Renae will be able to take Jacob for a respite in one of the newly-renovated sensory rooms, where there are also televisions to keep track of the action — and is dad — on the floor.

“If Jacob was struggling or needed to come up, Renae can come up, and now with the TV, not miss out on me playing tremendously,” Joe Ingles said.