Creating sensory-aware physical environments on campus can significantly influence how students regulate emotions, engage with learning, and feel a sense of safety and inclusion. The following research demonstrates how intentional design contributes to academic and social success. Specifically, multisensory learning design engages students through four pedagogical pillars (acoustic, visual, haptic, and olfactory), each intended to activate embodied, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of learning (Krajewski & Khoury, 2021). 

• Emotional and Cognitive Regulation: Nickels (2023) analyzed sensory room usage across various settings and found that students utilized these rooms primarily for emotional regulation and stress relief, indicating measurable impacts on self-reported anxiety and overstimulation. The study also noted that sensory rooms supported focus and social-emotional recovery, particularly during transitions or following challenging classes.

• Inclusive Space Design: Krajewski and Khoury (2021) implemented a "soft room" classroom and found that multi-sensory environments fostered increased student comfort, engagement, and alternative learning modalities. Students expressed feelings of safety, control, and comfort, which in turn supported their ability to engage with course content. The soft room was designed to intentionally challenge traditional classroom aesthetics, replacing control and standardization with comfort and co-creation, and inviting students to feel emotionally present and embodied in the space.

• Institutional Retention and Belonging: Braxton et al. (2007) emphasized the role of environmental support systems, including spaces for student well-being, as key contributors to student retention and academic persistence.

• Learning Space Design: Oblinger (2006) explains that the physical setting signals what and who is valued in a learning environment. Sensory-based design helps reinforce inclusive and student-centered values.

Sensory tools such as fidgets, textured objects, and calming items provide students with discreet, adaptable strategies for maintaining focus and managing cognitive load. These tools complement structured learning environments when integrated thoughtfully.

• Fidget Tools and Academic Behavior: Schoenen et al. (2024) conducted a meta-analysis of 10 single-case design studies. They found that fidget tools led to moderate improvements in academic engagement and behavior, although the results varied among learners. These tools were most effective when integrated thoughtfully into structured settings, with educator support.

• UDL-Aligned Design: CAST (2021) outlines that learning environments should incorporate multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression. Sensory tools align with these principles by supporting varied pathways to learning and self-regulation.

Neurodivergent students often face environmental and systemic barriers that impact their access to and success within higher education. Evidence suggests that sensory supports, when designed with empathy and inclusivity, are critical in fostering more equitable learning spaces.

• Responsive Accommodations: Sarrett (2018) interviewed autistic college students and found that sensory-based accommodations were among the most requested, yet underutilized, supports. Participants emphasized the importance of quiet spaces, dim lighting, and the freedom to use sensory items (e.g., noise-canceling headphones, fidgets) in classrooms without stigma.

• Neurodiversity Perspective: Griffin and Pollak (2009) observe that higher education settings often feel disabling rather than enabling to neurodivergent students, particularly due to sensory overload and rigid norms. Sensory supports help address these barriers.

The S3 initiatives translate research into action by delivering campus-based sensory supports tailored to students' diverse needs. Each initiative exemplifies scalable, student-centered solutions that enhance regulation, focus, and belonging.

Counselor Sensory Kits

Each of the 23 counselors will receive a kit with fidgets, textured items, and calming tools designed for use by both counselors and students, aligning with research that highlights the benefits of in-the-moment sensory regulation in emotionally charged settings (Nickels, 2023), the expressed needs of neurodiverse students for such tools (Sarrett, 2018), and evidence that intentional use of fidgets can enhance focus and participation (Schoenen et al., 2024).

Sensory Carts for Classrooms

Ten mobile sensory carts will be made available for classroom use, including fidgets, coloring books, and Native Hawaiian objects such as culturally significant materials. Access to fidget and sensory tools, environmental supports, and flexible, culturally responsive learning environments has been shown to improve academic performance, engagement, comfort, and belonging, while also reducing stigma and supporting retention among diverse learners (Schoenen et al., 2024; Sarrett, 2018; Braxton et al., 2007; Krajewski & Khoury, 2021).

Welcome Center Project

A cozy, calming space with bean bags, soft lighting, and a home-like aesthetic supports students awaiting services by fostering emotional safety and readiness to learn. Such spaces support de-escalation and emotional regulation (Nickels, 2023), which may be especially beneficial during transitions and before appointments, and reflect trauma-informed design principles that emphasize the importance of emotional and physical safety for all learners (Carello & Butler, 2015). Research shows that soft, multi-sensory environments promote regulation and learning (Krajewski & Khoury, 2021), inclusive spaces contribute to student retention (Braxton et al., 2007), and sensory accommodations in public-facing areas reduce barriers to participation and support diverse student needs (Sarrett, 2018).

Sensory-informed supports at Leeward CC are not stand-alone solutions. They directly align with strategic institutional goals centered on equity, student success, and inclusive infrastructure. The following section illustrates this alignment.

Leeward CC Strategic Plan: Student Success Pillar

1. Program and Service Outcomes: Sensory tools and spaces help students self-regulate, focus, and stay engaged, especially those with trauma, anxiety, neurodivergence, or stress (Schoenen et al., 2024; Sarrett, 2018). Incorporating these supports helps faculty and staff to be better equipped to meet diverse learner needs, which bolsters outcomes related to persistence, academic performance, and well-being.

2. Equity Infrastructure: These supports are flexible, low-cost, and equity-oriented. By addressing students’ needs for safety, agency, and sensory comfort, the kits and spaces create more inclusive environments without major infrastructure changes (Nickels, 2023).

3. Equity Definition: Sensory supports offer visible, practical equity in action. They promote student choice and belonging while generating valuable feedback to inform broader campus strategies.

Campus Goals

1. Underrepresented Student Representation: Sensory supports reduce barriers and foster belonging, making classrooms, services, and supports more accessible to learners.

2. Student Transfer Rates: Students who feel supported are more likely to stay engaged, succeed academically, and meet transfer goals.

3. Livable Wage Outcomes: By reducing stress-related withdrawals and enhancing classroom experiences, these supports help students stay on track to graduation and employment.

As colleges and universities look to improve equity, persistence, and well-being outcomes, sensory-informed strategies offer a powerful, practical toolkit. The following takeaways highlight the holistic value of these supports across academic and campus life.

• Improves Regulation: Sensory tools and rooms help students manage stress, transitions, and overstimulation.

• Supports Focus & Engagement: Fidgets and flexible spaces foster sustained attention and task persistence.

• Promotes Inclusion: These interventions meet diverse sensory needs, especially for neurodivergent students.

• Boosts Retention: A supportive sensory environment contributes to a stronger sense of belonging and academic continuity.

Braxton, J. M., Brier, E. M., & Steele, S. L. (2007). Shaping retention from research to practice. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 9(3), 377–399. https://doi.org/10.2190/CS.9.3.g 

CAST. (2021). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/ [universal design for learning]

Carello, J., & Butler, L. D. (2015). Practicing what we teach: Trauma-informed educational practice. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 35(3), 262–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2015.1030059 

Griffin, E., & Pollak, D. (2009). Student experiences of neurodiversity in higher education: Insights from the BRAINHE project. Dyslexia, 15(1), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.383 

Krajewski, S., & Khoury, M. (2021). Daring spaces: Creating multi-sensory learning environments. Learning and Teaching: The International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences, 14(1), 51–74. https://doi.org/10.3167/latiss.2021.140105 

Nickels (2023). A wall for wellness: Analyzing sensory room usage. [ProQuest Dissertations]. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2815123285 

Oblinger, D. G. (Ed.). (2006). Learning spaces. EDUCAUSE. https://www.educause.edu/research-and-publications/books/learning-spaces 

Sarrett, J. C. (2018). Autism and accommodations in higher education: Insights from the autism community. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 679–693. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3353-4

Schoenen, E. C., Martinez, J. C., Grekov, P., & others. (2024). Fidget devices as academic and behavioral interventions: A meta-analysis of single-case design studies. Education and Treatment of Children, 47, 231–244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43494-024-00133-0 

Strayhorn, T. L. (2018). College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/College-Students-Sense-of-Belonging-A-Key-to-Educational-Success-for-All-Students/Strayhorn/p/book/9781138238558