SensoryBased Accommodations David Baquis, Access Board

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Sensory-Based AccommodationsDavid Baquis,
Access Board

• ICDR State of the Science Conference on
  Employment
• June 2008

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Imagine

• Imagine being bombarded both internally and
  externally with too much stimulation and feeling
  out of sorts.

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How do you spell relief?
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Sensory Input

• Our senses can be used to help us
• Relax and calm down
• Make us more alert
• Feel more organized and in-tune with our body
• Sensory input is especially helpful when our
  brain is not helping us out, for example when we
  are upset, distracted, stressed out, or ill.

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Body-mind vs Mind-body

• Sensory based interventions help the mental
  process of self-organization through information
  gained via our physical senses
• Sensory based interventions help consumers to
  proactively self-regulate their emotions and
  impulses
• Such holistic accommodations recognize the
  connection between the person and their
  environment, including the workplace

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Sensory Regulation is Natural

• We intuitively use sensory input with children
  rock a baby to sleep play active games outdoors
  with children knowing they will rest better
  afterwards
• Adults are stimulated with coffee and the sound
  of new emails They are calmed with background
  music from Internet radio, pausing at the desk
  and stretching
• What if sensory-based input was planned and
  available then used regularly and systematically
  as a workplace acommodation? (e.g., close my
  office door everyday during lunchtime to do yoga)

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Our Senses

• Hearing
• Vision
• Touch
• Smell
• Taste
• Oral Motor
• Vestibular (balance)
• Proprioception (posture, movement)

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Smell Sensations

• Alerting
• Strong perfume, scent of freshly popped popcorn
• Calming
• Aromatherapy machine, soothing scented candle

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Taste Sensations

• Calming
• Chocolate, cup of mint tea
• Alerting
• Fire ball candy, hot salsa and spicy chips

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Oral Motor Sensations

• Calming
• Slices of banana, vanilla pudding
• Alerting
• Pretzels, carrots

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Visual Sensations

• Calming
• Serene murals, pastel colors, soft lighting
• Alerting
• Blinking lights, bright colors

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Auditory Sensations

• Calming
• Soft music, ocean or waterfall sounds, meditation
  tapes
• Alerting
• Loud and quick paced (rock) music, fire alarms

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Touch Sensations

• Alerting (light touch)
• Being tickled, a bug crawling on you
• Calming (deep pressure)
• Having a massage, squeezing a stress ball

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Weighted Modalities

• Weighted items, such as special vests, blankets
  or shawls, offer the sensation of physical
  holding and containment, which may help consumers
  regulate their arousal level and calm down

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Proprioceptive Sensations

• Perception of joint and body movement and how
  much force we are using.
• Calming
• Yoga, Tai Chi, gardening
• Alerting
• Jogging, step aerobics, jumping jacks

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Vestibular Sensations(balance)

• Calming
• Rocking in a rocking chair/glider, swinging
  gently, slow head rolls
• Alerting
• Roller coaster, spinning quickly, dancing around
  the room

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Personal Sensory Kits

• Soft pillow
• Heavy duty dog
• Scented hand cream
• Water bottle
• Snack bar, hard candy, gum
• Foot roller, stress ball, electric massager, back
  scratcher
• Photos of loved ones
• Vacation destination images
• Watercolor pencils/paper, word search, crossword
  puzzle
• Cartoon magazines, poetry books
• Aromatherapy fan diffuser
• Fiber optic lamps

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Research in Clinical Settings

• Research at UMass Medical Center, McLean Hospital
  and Cooley-Dickenson Hospital
• The use of the multisensory room and
  sensory-based approaches demonstrated clear
  benefit to the majority of consumers in reducing
  self-reported levels of distress. (Champagne
  Sayer, 2003)
• Used in people diagnosed with schizophrenia,
  borderline personality disorder, autism,
  depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress
  disorder.
• Sensory preferences are very individualistic. For
  example, what calms one person may irritate
  another

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Break-out Group Discussion Questions

• Implementing sensory-based accommodations may
  sometimes require special permissions (e.g.,
  dress code allowing gum chewing approving a
  flexible schedule). Identify areas for policy
  changes.
• How should federal agencies address this sensory
  based accommodations approach? What limits might
  be considered?
• What are the priority questions to research How
  to best match the person to the accommodation?
  What tools are best suited for the employment
  context? How to measure impact (subjective and
  objective)?

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How to Reach the U.S. Access Board

• Telephone
• 202-272-0013
• 800-872-2253 (toll-free in U.S.)
• Internet http//www.access-board.gov
• E-mail baquis_at_access-board.gov