Henshaws Specialist College celebrated the opening of their newly refurbished sensory room this week thanks to generous support from 4Life Wealth Management and the St James’s Place Foundation.
The sensory needs of students at the charity’s Harrogate campus have been increasing year by year as Henshaws has responded to local demand for specialist provision for young people with more complex physical and learning disabilities.
Henshaws new sensory room will provide a safe environment for students to increase their awareness of their surroundings, enhance their mobility, develop their communication skills and enjoy a dedicated place for learning through relaxation.
New sensory equipment available in the room includes a mobile projection system which can project images that respond to gesture and movement onto any surface, and a specialist gravity chair which supports users to explore a greater range of movement whilst still feeling safe and secure.
Henshaws College Principal, Angela North said: The complex needs of many of our students means that sensory development is vitally important in developing highly individualised strategies for communication and an improved understanding of the world around them. The new equipment will provide ways to engage with some of our students who otherwise might have limited abilities to interact. We believe this can be a transformative process in helping every student to develop as an individual.
We are grateful for the generous support of our funders in helping us to transform our sensory room, in particular Sue McGregor and Chris Brewis from 4Life Wealth Management for their personal involvement in securing funding for the project.
