People who experience sensory overload in San Luis Obispo are being offered a place to find some relief.
Cal Poly’s Experience Industry Management department has launched a research project on building inclusive spaces for neurodiverse people.
For five weeks this spring, Cal Poly researchers are collecting data at the Thursday night market.
They’re exploring how public spaces can be more inclusive for people with sensory sensitivities.
Amber Karson, an adjunct professor and advisor for the Resilience Rooms project, says addressing the needs of neurodiverse people is important for the future of event planning.
“One in five people, 20% of the global population is neurodivergent,” said Karson. “And so, I think the sheer number of individuals that could benefit from more neuro inclusive practices, to me, is both exciting and alarming at the same time.”
Karson started a pop-up resilience room project to offer those benefits.
Thursday nights on Higuera Street, people can visit a green booth outside the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Student researchers welcome visitors and invite them to identify how they’re feeling using a five-point scale ranging from “1 calm” to “5 intense angst.”
Inside the booth, guests are given countless options to decompress, which include soothing music, dimmed lighting, noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, crafts, even some snacks.
So how have guests been responding to the booth?
“Having people feel seen, sometimes for the first time, and being able to have neurodivergent individuals say thank you, we had individuals in tears,” said Karson. “Everyone has been so supportive and really happy that we are taking time to study this topic.”
The project is still in the research phase, and the data collected is not yet ready for public release.
The resilience room experience will be available for farmers market goers on Thursdays through May 1st.
Some popular venues that already have similar spaces are LegoLand and Lincoln Financial Field– home of the Philadelphia Eagles.