October 27, 2016

Multi-sensory room to provide additional disability services to Illawarra

Individuals with cognitive and physical impairments will soon be able to experience the world in a very different way, with a community-based multi-sensory room in the planning stages for the West Dapto precinct.

The multi-sensory room offers its users a unique experience tailored to their own needs, with primary senses stimulated through the use of sensory-based materials such as fibre optic arrays, bubble tubes, music, colour, lighting, touch and aroma.

The joint research project, part of the University of Wollongong (UOW)’s Global Challenges Program, was established between UOW and CareWays Community and initially set out to scope the community’s understanding of sensory rooms and establish whether or not there was a need to increase these types of services for people with disabilities in the Illawarra region.

Dr Rose Dixon, the project leader and Coordinator of Special Education from UOW’s School of Education, said the initial research project looked at the benefits and feasibility of developing a multi-sensory room by engaging with the community and disability services.

“We set out to gain a better understanding of how a space can be best utilised, the needs of the local cohort of users and what materials would be required to provide a stimulating or calming environment,” Dr Dixon said.

“We wanted to ensure the final project was increasing services and support for people living with a disability by improving quality of life, promoting better health outcomes, reducing challenging behaviours and providing respite time.

“What we found was that the community wants flexible resources that can be changed regularly to maintain interest from its users and meet the different needs we have in the community.”

CareWays Community Operations Manager Michael Szafraniec said the project provides a unique and exciting opportunity for the Illawarra community.

“What we propose to deliver is a community-based sensory room that can be accessed when the community needs it most. There is already great interest and support from the community including a significant amount of financial support from the IMB Foundation and UOW. It is with this support we can go ahead and create this exciting opportunity for everyone,” he said.

“We are also so lucky to have a very keen and interested team of UOW academics working with us to build the room and provide this opportunity. Some of what we are doing is definitely a first for the Illawarra and maybe even a world’s first in terms of using community to help us shape the way we set up and use this room.

“Overall what this initiative provides for community is a safe and secure environment to explore sensory stimulation for a range of differing disabilities, for people with dementia, for therapists and even pregnant women. It is accessible on the community’s terms and will also provide a way for families to enjoy a shared experience.”

The project aims to inform further research on the long-term impacts of access to and different uses of a multi-sensory environment. An additional suite of online resources will be developed to assist community organisations and families who are considering developing a sensory room.

The projects were made possible through funding from UOW’s Global Challenges Program and the UOW Community Engagement Grant Scheme.

For more information visit http://globalchallenges.uow.edu.au/transform/UOW202976