Sensory Room at VCU, my review

Being a neurodivergent college student can be a very tiring feeling. The whole world can overwhelm you. Sometimes it feels like I can’t catch a break with how much of our world tends to send me into an uncomfortable sadness. The bright lights of classrooms, the noises of people on campus, the temperature of any room I walk in, the pain I experience in my body etc. are just a few of things that make my life on campus uncomfortable. If you’re like me, you probably have felt the same way.

Resources are also limited for neurodivergent adults, as people tend to not consider that adults with autism or adhd exist! Recently, though, society has been getting better at normalizing autism, adhd, and neurodiversity. VCU has also been doing their part to hear neurodivergent students on campus. 

This is where the sensory room comes into play. Cabell Libraries and SAEO (the Student Accessibility and Education Opportunity Office) worked together to create a study room for neurodivergent students on campus. It opened sometime around last week. I decided to give it a visit after my shift at the Writing Center, since I had a massive headache.

I walked up to the front desk at Cabell and asked to try out the room. They were so accommodating and gave me access for an hour. I was greeted by a small room with a couch, a fan, a table with puzzles, etc. It feels like they thought of everything because there was so much to explore and play around with! 

On the couch, there was a weighted blanket since some people do like to feel pressure on their bodies. My temperature and pressure needs are a bit weird, so when I sat down I turned on the fan and wrapped myself in the weighted blanket for a bit. It was honestly very nice since I had full control of how I felt. 

Next, I checked out a bookshelf right next to the fan and couch. There were so many fidgets to choose from as well as noise cancelling headphones if you needed it. I like to play around with Pop It fidgets. There was also a white noise machine, which I really love! I grabbed one fidget, turned on the white noise, sat on the beanbag chair that they also had, and let myself play for a couple of minutes. 

The last thing I checked out was the study table. The thing that caught my eye was the light machine. You can adjust the brightness, the colors, etc. The light machine emits a starry pattern on the ceiling, which was incredible to look at. I turned off the lights in the room, turned on the light machine, went back to the couch to feel the fan, and sat there with the blanket wrapped around my body. 

I cannot begin to describe how peaceful that felt. The other study rooms don’t have adjustments the way this room did. The lights are so bright in Cabell with so many people around, so I don’t like to work in the library anymore. The sensory room felt private and secluded, so I didn’t feel as uncomfortable. I could make adjustments as I saw fit during that hour. Because of how good it felt, I almost fell asleep! 

You do need to have a card to access this room regularly. I do not personally have card access and was simply allowed in this one time because I asked. However, I think I will have a chat with SAEO to get regular access to this room because it was the first time I felt calm in a VCU study room. This room is great for both sensory seeking and sensory avoidant people. If you are neurodivergent and have sensory needs of any kind, use this resource! It’s there for you and you deserve to advocate for your needs.