Sensory Room – Learning Strategies Center

Becca McCabe, a neurodivergent doctoral student in mechanical engineering and president of the Student Neurodiversity Alliance at Cornell, looks through a nature book in the Learning Strategies Center's new sensory room. — Becca McCabe ’24, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering and president of the Student Neurodiversity Alliance at Cornell, signs into The Sensory Room (417 CCC).

The LSC sensory room is a place where Cornell students who are stressed or overstimulated can find respite or escape sensory overload. It’s a welcoming space for all students, especially those who identify as neurodivergent, and it allows them to have greater control over their level of sensory input.

We hope that room helps improve the well-being of our students, allowing them to relax, de-stress, and take a breather. The room is split into two areas. The sensory soothing area has weighted lap blankets, comfortable seating, noise canceling headphone, and dim lights. The sensory-seeking area has a variety of fidget toys, lights that can be touched on and off, and tactile objects such as rocks with different textures.

When is the LSC Sensory Room open?

The sensory room is currently closed for winter break: we anticipate that it will reopen in mid-January. When classes are in session for the Fall and Spring semesters, the sensory room is generally open from 9a-4p, Monday through Friday.

During the Fall and Spring semesters, Let’s Talk hosts weekly sessions in the Sensory Room.

Where did this idea come from?

Students need spaces to feel comfortable and to feel connected, which means different things for different students. During our first Neurodiversity (ND) Celebration week, Racker, which supports people with disabilities and their families, set up a model sensory room that inspired us to create something similar. The sensory room is one of our initiatives to foster awareness and community for students who are neurodiverse.

We hope that people who visit or see the space will be inspired, like we were with Racker, to see how they might make a small change to their own spaces to make a big difference for students, especially those sensitive to stimuli.

Alesandréa Rodriguez ’27, an animal science major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, uses materials in the Learning Strategies Center's sensory room to calm her sensitivities to sound and movement. Credit: Noël Heaney (UREL)
The Learning Strategies Center has opened the first sensory room at Cornell, a low-sensory-input space where people can relax and take a break from the multiple sensory stimuli on campus. Credit: Noël Heaney (UREL)
Becca McCabe, a neurodivergent doctoral student in mechanical engineering and president of the Student Neurodiversity Alliance at Cornell, looks through a nature book in the Learning Strategies Center's new sensory room. Credit: Noël Heaney (UREL)
The Learning Strategies Center has opened the first sensory room at Cornell, a low-sensory-input space where people can relax and take a break from the multiple sensory stimuli on campus. Credit: Noël Heaney (UREL)
The Learning Strategies Center has opened the first sensory room at Cornell, a low-sensory-input space where people can relax and take a break from the multiple sensory stimuli on campus. Credit: Noël Heaney (UREL)

When is the LSC Sensory Room open?

Where did this idea come from?

Read more about the Sensory Room