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Staff and young adults at Hannahs in Ivybridge are seeing great benefits from their state-of-the-art sensory room.
The charity, which has two sites in Devon, provides care for children and young adults with profound and multiple physical and learning difficulties. Hannahs approached Experia to create a tailored sensory room for its residents as it wanted something original which would be suitable for young adults.
The room was installed in Hannahwood, Hannahs’ young adult provision, which helps students transition from adolescence to adulthood by providing care, therapy and learning opportunities for adults aged 19 and over.
Users of the sensory room range from individuals who are able to walk independently to those who have very restricted body movement. The room was created using Experia’s Multisensory Interactive Learning Environment (M.I.L.E.) technology, which can be tailored to simulate environments such as sky-diving or underwater, to enhance sensory learning.
Experia’s wireless products allow people to control the room themselves through the use of iPads and switches, which promotes independence. Being able to control their environments promotes self-awareness among users and allows individuals to increase their skills in a calm environment.
Bex Marshall, Activities and Events Manager at Hannahs, said: “The sensory room has had a huge impact on a range of users here in Hannahwood and helps encourage independence amongst users, allowing them to stay in their peer groups to learn. We use the room for our weekly college groups as it provides a chilled-out atmosphere which increases engagement with tasks.
“The room has had a great effect on users’ behaviours, especially in helping some users come out of agitated behaviour. The young adults who use the room feel empowered as they are able to control the settings and we’ve seen a positive reaction from those who wouldn’t normally have used the room thanks to the environmental controls.”
Gareth Jones, Director of Experia, said: “This was a great project to work on and I am so pleased that users at Hannah’s are benefiting from the room already. We wanted to create a sensory room which would be both an engaging learning space and also a calm environment where the young adults can relax. It’s always so rewarding to hear what a difference having access to sensory equipment makes and the feedback from the team at Discover Hannah’s has been fantastic.”
Hannahs was founded in 1767 and has been helping children and young people for 250 years. Working across two sites in Devon – at Ivybridge, about 11 miles from Plymouth and at Seale-Hayne on the outskirts of Newton Abbot – Hannahs provides learning, care, support and real choice to children and adults with a range of disabilities.
Experia has been creating sensory rooms across the country since 2005, helping children and adults alike learn and develop essential life skills. To read more about the projects we have been involved in, such as the installation of a sensory room at Watford FC, browse through our collection of case studies.
