New Virtual Sensory Room Available to Students

Penn State World Campus students have access to a new collection of resources that can help improve focus while also alleviating stress and anxiety.

Penn State University Libraries now offers a Virtual Sensory Room, inspired by physical sensory rooms and kits available at several Penn State campus locations. The Virtual Sensory Room includes digital resources like fidget toy apps, doodle tools, virtual white noise machines, and journaling apps.

The resources are compiled via a crowdsourcing system, so students can add or suggest tools they like or think others will find useful. That means the collection of tools and apps will continually expand as more students add their favorite resources.

While the resources in the Virtual Sensory Room can be especially beneficial to neurodivergent students, the digital tools can help all students manage overstimulation, relieve stress, and sharpen focus.

This project was a joint effort of the Libraries’ Sensory-Friendly Libraries Initiative and its Diversity Community of Advocacy (DCOA) Accessibility Working Group.

Explore the resources in the Virtual Sensory Room.

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