Utica University’s Multi-Sensory Room used to teach, research, unwind, and inspire

Utica Community
Utica Stories
Utica University’s Multi-Sensory Room used to teach, research, unwind, and inspire

Three students sit in the Utica University Sensory Room, with purplish-blue lights on.

“It has empowered them to have their own space, and they have been in charge of this room since day one.”

In room 272 of the Gordon Science Center, you’ll find a calming space filled with relaxing visuals and sensory equipment designed to soothe the senses.

The multi-sensory room at Utica University offers an immersive sensory experience tailored for individuals with diverse abilities. Sensory rooms provide a safe and controlled environment where users can explore different sensory experiences, delivering therapeutic benefits that enhance overall well-being.

The multi-sensory room is a place used for teaching, research, and open use, where people can engage in various sensory activities and where their senses—including sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and movement—can be gently stimulated in a controlled manner.

It is one of several hands-on learning environments created for students enrolled in the School of Health Professions and Education. However, it is open to all Utica University students, faculty, and staff seeking a place to de-stress or tap into their senses.

The room features various multi-sensory equipment, including vibrating chairs, a swing, an LED tunnel, a projector displaying dynamic visuals, and a multicolor bubble tube.

Cicily Talerico, assistant professor of occupational therapy, explains that multi-sensory rooms are widely used in professional settings such as schools, hospitals, memory care units, and psychiatric centers. These rooms help individuals self-regulate, improve motor skills, and support those with limited communication abilities.

The increasing adoption of sensory rooms was a key factor in implementing one on campus.

“This has been absolutely wonderful for the students,” says Professor Talerico. “It has empowered them to have their own space, and they have been in charge of this room since day one.”

Students who staff the sensory room receive proper training and hold open office hours for anyone who wishes to use the space.

In addition to serving the campus community, the multi-sensory room is open to local organizations, including The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter’s “Life After High School” program, and young autistic adults from the Kelberman Center’s “Discover You” program.

Under the leadership of Colleen Sunderlin, professor of occupational therapy, and Dimitar Todorov, associate professor of construction management, a group of occupational therapy graduate students and construction management students recently collaborated to design and build a multi-sensory room for the Resource Center for Independent Living (RCIL) in Utica. The project aims to benefit dementia patients at RCIL by offering a new, safe space to improve overall well-being and enhance activities.

The multi-sensory room on campus served as a model for the students to learn about the different equipment, how to install the pieces, and the environmental design of the project.

“It was an amazing thing to be able to provide the students with the experience and also to be able to provide the community with some assistance building their sensory room,” says Professor Talerico.