Promoting sensory friendly settings
A sensory friendly setting is one in which sensory differences are recognised and celebrated for the positive contribution they can make as well as whether the reasonable adjustments are made both to the tasks that people are expected to participate in and to the environment they operate in.
This can apply to both school and educational settings as well as places where children, young people and adults go for leisure and fun (a café, the cinema, the gym or the library etc.) as well as places they need to use for everyday needs such as the supermarket, bus station or dentist of GP surgery.
Work places often both provide settings that the general public use as well as thinking about the setting the employees themselves are using.
What is a sensory processing friendly setting
- Staff teams are trained and sensory processing aware
- Able to offer reasonable adjustments to the environment
- Able to make use of sensory awareness to help improve communication and participation / involvement
- Able to provide suitable alternatives when people become overwhelmed
Working with LNOTA in one way of helping develop improved sensory friendly, a sensory audit can be undertaken to establish a base line and working with staff team or employees or student develop a programme to help increase the sensory processing friendly.
This programme may include provision of information, training and staff development as well as recommendations about specific activities that can be undertaken to promote a positive sensory environment for all.
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