MSU Libraries celebrates Disability Pride Month with new Sensory Room

The Michigan State University Libraries is recognizing Disability Pride Month at MSU this October with two dedicated open houses highlighting the Main Library’s new Sensory Room.

​The Sensory Room opened in the MSU Main Library this past September with a ribbon-cutting and reception. Attendees included James Shryock and his niece Amanda Marsicek on behalf of the Shryock Family Foundation, which sponsored the Sensory Room. Foundation board Trustee James Shryock is an MSU alumnus who graduated with his bachelor’s in social relations from James Madison College in 1993 and with his master’s in human resources & labor relations from the College of Social Science in 1995. Shryock said he chose to support this project largely because of his MSU student experience.

“When we were asked to donate for the Sensory Room at the MSU Libraries, it was an easy decision to give back to the University,” Shryock said. “I’ve personally seen how sensory rooms can make a difference and we wanted to help ensure that everyone at MSU has the chance to have a great experience on campus, just like I did. I’m proud of our commitment to inclusion for all students.”

The MSU Libraries Sensory Room offers a range of resources to support sensory needs and well-being. All items in the room, from the furniture and lighting to the sensory materials and creative tools, were selected by MSU Libraries Accessibility Coordinator Heidi Schroeder, who noted support from the MSU Resources Center for Persons with Disabilities and library colleagues at Pennsylvania State University in considering materials to outfit the space.

“It was invaluable to talk to Access Specialist Lindsay Hill at RCPD as well as colleagues at Penn State Libraries who had recently opened a sensory room, because we really wanted our space to fit the needs of college students,” Schroeder said. “We learned from Penn State how much students loved their Alpha Egg Chair and that their sensory kits available for checkout were popular. Lindsay knew from working directly with MSU students what types of items and equipment they like to see in sensory spaces.”

In addition to an Alpha Egg Chair, visitors to the MSU Libraries Sensory Room will find items including fiber optic lights, a bubble light tube, a mood stool, noise canceling headphones, a Zen garden kit, a weighted lap pad and shoulder wrap and various fidgets, among other resources. Sensory kits are also available for checkout at the circulation desk.

MSU Dean of Libraries Neil Romanosky shared his enthusiasm about the new Sensory Room as well as his gratitude for the support of the Shryock Family Foundation. “The MSU Libraries has always taken pride in our place as the academic heart of campus,” Romanosky said.“With this pride comes a dedicated commitment to providing access to resources that make learning and discovery possible. The new Sensory Room embodies this commitment by recognizing that we all learn and discover in different ways and by giving our students, staff and faculty the opportunity to do so in a comfortable space. I am grateful to the Shryock Foundation and our Libraries staff both for creating a space that will have a lasting impact and for contributing to MSU’s values of equity, care and respect with intentionality.”

The public is invited to two open houses celebrating the Sensory Room at the MSU Main MSU Library on Oct. 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Oct. 23 from noon to 2 p.m.

For more information about the Sensory Room, please visit the Sensory Spaces & Resources webpage. To learn more about the MSU Libraries accessibility services, please visit the Libraries’ Accessibility webpage.

This story originally appeared on the MSU Library website.