Academic

We think that academic library workers should be champions of neuroinclusion and sensory social justice for students, as doing so benefits neurodivergent students in particular as well as all students.  Various academic libraries now host sensory rooms to provide sensory modulation and stress relief for their patrons as you can see from the profiles in the left sidebar.

  Why should academic libraries build sensory spaces, programs, and services?

• Around 16% of college students are neurodiverse according to recent data (American College Health Association, 2025). Research has shown that students describing themselves as having autism, ADHD, and dyslexia often find themselves in classroom environments with sensory stimuli that can undermine their academics success (Nolan et al., 2023).  Library sensory rooms offer a place to help them modulate stimuli in ways that optimize their health and learning while on campus and recover from challenging classroom settings.  Library sensory spaces can also have a generative effect on the rest of campus--providing examples for design of spaces in classrooms, student centers, and residential life that can further improve learning and quality of life for these students.

• An increasing number of college students grapple with anxiety, depression, PTSD (Eisenberg, 2022; McGreevy, 2020; ), and sensory rooms can provide a haven for these students as well.  Some people with these issues have similar sensory challenges as student with classic neurodivergencies and even consider themselves neurodivergent (BirdsEye, 2025).  Students who need help coping with exam jitters or other stressors can benefit from sensory rooms.  

Here are hypothetical scenarios of how sensory social justice in academic libraries can benefit college students drawn from Penn State's Sensory Friendly-Libraries project site:

• Marcus, an engineering major who has ADHD, finds it hard to read or work math problems amid the hustle and bustle of the student center and classroom buildings. As a result, his grades suffer.  However, when he discovers the library’s sensory room, he uses the soft light displays and white noise machine to screen out the distractions of campus.  As a result, he is able to concentrate, and his grades improve accordingly.

• Isabella, a criminal justice major, has a great deal of anxiety. Hearing other students around campus talk about tests and research papers stresses her out.  Large lecture halls, crowds, fluorescent lighting, and loud noises give her panic attacks.  Fortunately, she finds a sensory refuge in the library, and likes reading books while sitting in low soft seating, using weighted lap pads, and soaking up the green biophilic elements.  She also enjoys the library’s multimedia exhibits because they help distract her from the daily grunge and produce pleasing visual, auditory, and kinesthetic experiences.

• Will, a freshman with autism, struggles with research and finds it abstract. He learns best with concrete, kinesthetic activities that allow freedom of movement; his mind often wanders during lectures. Fortunately, his professor schedules a session with a librarian.  The librarian uses a smart board to create a game that involves manipulating objects on the screen.  The librarian also leads an activity in which teams of students walk around the library while searching the online catalog on tablets.  Will feels much better after the session, happy that the librarian employed technologies that appealed to his learning style.  He also notices that the library offers fidget items that he can use while studying.

Browse the profiles in the left sidebar to see examples of how colleagues are creating sensory-friendly spaces and places!  Reach out to the contacts for more ideas!

References

American College Health Association. (Spring 2025).  National College Health Assessment: Reference Group Executive Summary.   https://www.acha.org/wp-content/uploads/NCHA-IIIb_SPRING_2025_REFERENCE_GROUP_INSTITUTIONAL_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf

BirdsEye.  (2025, Aug. 20).  Is depression neurodivergent? Link between depression and neurodivergence.  Center for Anxiety.  https://www.centerforanxiety.org/is-depression-neurodivergent/

Boyer, A. M., & El-Chidiac, A. (2025). Supporting neurodiverse students in academic libraries. Association of College & Research Libraries.

Eisenberg, D., Lipson, S. K., Heinze, J., & Zhou, S. (2022). Healthy minds study report.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/167mchxCXjCAx7E6b3VheXhojDVO2NZRd/view

McGreevy, S., & Boland, P. (2020). Sensory-based interventions with adult and adolescent trauma survivors: An integrative review of the occupational therapy literature. Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy, 48(1), 31-54. 

McMullin, R. M., & Walton, K. R. (2019). Supporting students on the autism spectrum: A practical guide for academic libraries. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.  https://www.elmstreetbooks.com/book/9781440863967

Nolan, C., Doyle, J. K., Lewis, K., & Treanor, D. (2023). Disabled students’ perception of the sensory aspects of the learning and social environments within one higher education institution. The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 86(5), 367-375. https://doi.org/10.1177/03080226221126895