Feeling stressed? Need a break to decompress ? Don’t miss out on Sensory Mondays!
January 13 – May 5, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Kuykendall 106 Events Room
CAMP+U , a Postsecondary Training Project on Inclusive Practices offered by the College of Education Center on Disability Studies (CDS) and funded through the UH Foundation Center has also launched a Sensory Room at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa through a partnership with the Office of Faculty Development and Academic Support (OFDAS). A first-of-its-kind initiative that aligns with 55% of its peer institutions offering sensory-friendly spaces, the sensory room is a controlled environment for self-regulation and stress management. Equipped with 13 sensory items, the room welcomed 214 visitors over 9 days of operation. Visitors included 83% students, 9% faculty, and 7% staff members, indicating strong popularity among the student body.
Survey Results are in!
76 visitors (36% response rate) completed a survey to share their response to the Sensory Room. The survey revealed high satisfaction levels post-visit, with 80% rating their satisfaction as “A lot”. Sensory features involving touch, light, and color were rated highest in satisfaction. Sound and smell showed more variability in responses, indicating an area for improvement. Visitors consistently described their overall experience as calming and relaxing. 94% of survey respondents would recommend the sensory room to others.
Self-reported emotional states before and after the sensory experience revealed that positive emotional states such as calmness and relaxation significantly increased post-visit. 75% of respondents indicated feeling calm post-visit. Nervousness and irritability were entirely alleviated.
The following graphs show the top 5 Positive Emotions Before-After Visit and top 5 Negative Emotions Before-After Visit respectively.
Student quotes illustrating their sensory room experiences:
“Finals are so stressful, I love coming in here to relax and forget about it for a brief moment until I go back into chaos.”
“I feel that the world is rough, and that I need to navigate it by myself. So thank you for coming from a place of understanding – that a social space like a sensory room is very much needed. “
These findings highlight the importance of inclusive spaces for the campus community, serving as a model for mental health and well-being initiatives. The UHM sensory room proved to be a vital resource on campus, promoting calm, relaxation, and happiness among its users. Recommendations include increasing the availability of sensory-friendly spaces across campus to meet growing demand.
CONTACT INFORMATION: For any inquiries, contact Dr. Holly Manaseri, Principal Investigator, at hmanaser@hawaii.edu or visit the CAMP+U website at https://cds.coe.hawaii.edu/campu/
