New Space Benefits RSU Community Members with Sensory Issues

A new space at Rogers State University is now available for use by the RSU community to help those with sensory issues to manage stress and reduce potential anxiety.

This semester, the university will open a dedicated space to accommodate those with unique sensory needs.

"More and more, we're seeing students who have been diagnosed with ADHD or autism, or may have another sensory integration disorder," said John Carle, RSU accessibility and disability resources coordinator. "This new space was created in response to that, as a means to help those with challenges processing sensory stimuli without getting overwhelmed to have a calming space to come to and help manage their stress."

By definition, a sensory room is a space that uses various objects and equipment to engage the senses and help people regulate their emotions and behavior, helping to reduce anxiety and overstimulation.

Resources in the room include items for tactile and audio stimulation, comfortable seating, weighted blankets, a bubble wall, which features a transparent panel filled with water where air is pumped through to create a stream of rising bubbles illuminated by LED lights, and much more.

According to Carle, items within the room were purchased with remaining funds from the previous fiscal year, and the space had previously been a disused storage room but was converted into the new sensory room by members of RSU's physical plant team.

"For now, we won't be keeping the room locked, but we wouldn't recommend more than three people to use it at one time," Carle said. "At some point, we may post a schedule to allow people to sign up, but for the time being, it should be open for use without scheduling a time.

"We're hopeful that this will serve as a kind of refuge for students to go to, to have a place to go to get away from overwhelming sensory stimulation and to be able to remain calm and focused," he said.

RSU's Sensory Room is located in room 245B of the Health Sciences Building on RSU's Claremore campus.

RSU offers accommodations for students with disabilities upon enrollment in the university and registration with the Office of Accessibility and Disability Resources.