Saint Francis University Debuts Sensory Room

Saint Francis University in Loretto, Penn., recently debuted a sensory room as space for students with neurodiverse sensory needs. A news release calls Saint Francis one of a “handful of universities” in the U.S. with a specifically dedicated such space.

Saint Francis University Sensory Room
Photo courtesy of Saint Francis University

The room is located in the campus library and includes a variety of equipment and activities—along with instructions and information regarding their benefits—for all aspects of the student population’s sensory needs. Between classrooms, residence halls, dining halls, shared bathrooms and more, a university environment may overwhelm students’ eyes, ears, noses and general sense of wellbeing. Added to potential mental health issues related to being away from home for the first time (not to mention the backdrop of the pandemic), the space is intended to be a soothing, calming environment.

The effort was spearheaded by four fifth-year graduate occupational therapy students as a project for their “Role Emerging Level II Fieldwork Experience” on campus. Working with the university, Centers for Academic Success, the Occupational Therapy Department and the library, the students said that they noticed a student need and planned the sensory room as a problem-solving solution.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • i-PRO, NovoTrax Partner for New School Emergency Response Solution

    i-PRO Americas, Inc., which manufactures edge computing cameras, recently announced a partnership with NovoTrax, provider of end-to-end life safety and mass notification solutions, to address gaps in emergency response workflows at K–12 schools, according to a news release.

  • Ancient Resilience: How Indigenous Intelligence Shapes the 4Roots Education Building

    As climate change intensifies, educational spaces must evolve beyond basic sustainability toward true resilience – we must design environments that can adapt, respond, and thrive amid shifting, and intensifying, climate hazards. Drawing on indigenous wisdom and nature-based strategies, integrating resilient design offers a path to create learning environments that are not only functional but deeply in tune with their natural surroundings.

  • K–12 Safety Trends Report Reveals Reliance on Training, Technology

    Wearable safety technology provider CENTEGIX recently released its 2025 School Safety Trends Report, according to a news release. The report is based on more than 265,000 incidents during the 2024–25 school year as reported through the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, used by more than 800 school districts across the U.S.

  • Key Considerations for Office-to-Higher-Education Facility Conversions

    Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, office-to-alternative-use conversions have become a recurring subject of urban development discourse. Office utilization rates across major U.S. cities remain below 50%, with vacancy rates exceeding 27% in San Francisco and 16% in New York. Higher education facilities present programmatic and spatial use cases that align readily with the typical characteristics of commercial office buildings.

Digital Edition