Sensory facilities for libraries
CLOSE to €28,000 will be provided to the Wicklow County Library Service for sensory equipment and facilities.
The Minister for Rural and Community Development has announced that funding of €20,720 has been approved for Wicklow County Council for the project while the Council itself will match this amount by an additional 33 per cent, resulting in a total of €27,630.
The funding will allow Wicklow County Council Library Service to acquire the necessary equipment and make provision for individuals with sensory impairments, special educational needs, ASD and other learning difficulties.
Wicklow County Council Chief Executive, Mr Frank Curran, said: ‘Our libraries are essentially a space for all, and this funding will go towards ensuring that they are welcoming spaces where the experience for parents and carers of children and teens with sensory needs is more comfortable.’
In 2018 funding from the Department provided for the purchase of Tovertafels or Magic Tables in Wicklow’s main library branches. These are being used by families in our communities with dementia, autism spectrum disorder and learning differences.
In 2020 Wicklow County Council wants to make libraries more accessible places for everyone in our community. Libraries can be very busy places with lots of activities happening throughout the day. Awareness that those with ASD, or indeed any member of the community, can suffer a sensory overload has guided our decision to ensure that every library in the county will benefit from this funding. The plan includes the provision of a Quiet Space/Sensory Room in one of our libraries. This room will be equipped with a columnar bubble tube which will be both mesmerising and calming and the room will also feature mirrors, soft furnishings, fibre optic lighting and other sensory toys. All other libraries will be provided with a sensory area which will feature padded tactile corners, mirrored walls and also pop-up sensory tents, depending on space and suitability, and sensory kits.