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Owens team creates sensory rooms to support neurodivergent students

Owens student Krystal Bensch tries out the multi-sensory room in the Counseling Services office.

As last year’s BIG Read was winding down, Owens Community College English professor Jen Hazel already had her sights set on the next chapter: neurodivergence.

Unbeknownst to her, two of her colleagues — Vickie Heck, director of Counseling Services, and Chris Hendricks, director of Disability Services — were thinking along the same lines, setting the stage for a campus-wide collaboration.

The trio has since come together to create three multi-sensory rooms across Owens’ Toledo-area Campus. The first room, located in Counseling Services in College Hall, is already open and will host a open house on Tuesday, Sept. 23 after the BIG Read book club at 1 p.m.

The other two rooms, in the Healthcare Education Center and Heritage Hall, are still in development. A larger celebration is planned once those spaces open later this semester.

According to Heck, the timing was right for the project to make a meaningful impact.

Hazel said an existing professional relationship between the three helped begin implementation quickly.

“It really came from my relationship with Chris and Vickie and us talking about students who are struggling on campus for various reasons,” Hazel said. “We are a campus of belonging, and we need everyone to feel that way.”

Hendricks attended a seminar earlier this year where a representative from a local university presented on its sensory room. Meanwhile, Heck, in her role with Counseling Services, said she sees the need for safe, calming spaces for students on a daily basis.

Funding for equipment, furnishings and other items came from a $167,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. With the grant in hand, Hazel said it was rewarding to work with various campus partners, including Executive Director of Operations Danielle Tracy, Provost Dr. Denise Smith and Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Dr. Blake Renner.

Owens student Krystal Bensch tries out some of the sensory tools in the multi-sensory room in the Counseling Services office.

Hazel and Hendricks collaborated on a list of sensory items to fill the rooms. Hazel drew from her classroom experience and as the mother of a son on the autism spectrum.

“A lot of it is stuff that my son has used in (occupational therapy), and other items are suggestions from students I’ve had in my class who’ve disclosed their diagnosis,” she said. “It was really, what can we grab with the grant money, and where can we find those items?”

According to Heck and Hendricks, an estimated 10 percent to 20 percent of Owens students may be considered neurodivergent. However, students do not need an official diagnosis to use the rooms. They simply scan a QR code at the entrance and follow a few basic rules for use.

When a student scans the code, Heck and Hendricks receive an alert, allowing them to monitor usage and ensure the space is being used appropriately.

“They don’t have to make an appointment. They can just pop in when they need it,” Heck said. “Certainly, anyone who’s having a rough time can be in there.”

The first room features a variety of lights, chairs and sensory tools like stress balls, kinetic sand and coloring books. Students can also simply use the space to decompress in silence.

Heck said many students are facing anxiety, depression and stress tied to academic pressure, social dynamics, financial strain and other personal challenges, all while juggling work, family responsibilities and school.

“It’s a very stressful time for students,” she said. “Not only are they trying to go through school, a lot of our students are married or working or have children, so they’re dealing with those stressors as well.”

For more information on Counseling Services at Owens, please visit owens.edu/counseling.

Please visit owens.edu/disability for more information on the Disability Resource Center.