Sensory Dark Rooms
Sensory Dark Rooms
Custom Sensory Dark Rooms for Visual Therapy. Expertly designed and installed sensory spaces for Visual Assessments, VI exercises and enhancing visual tracking and hand-eye coordination — ideal for individuals with visual impairments.
Custom Sensory Dark Rooms for Visual Therapy. Expertly designed and installed sensory spaces for Visual Assessments, VI exercises and enhancing visual tracking and hand-eye coordination — ideal for individuals with visual impairments.
A Sensory Dark Room is a specialised type of sensory environment designed to support visual assessment and development. These rooms are widely used by Visual Impairment (VI) teams and Occupational Therapists to evaluate a client’s visual abilities in a controlled setting. Also known as Dark Rooms, VI Rooms, or Blacklight Rooms, they share the same purpose and equipment, offering an ideal space for focused visual exploration and therapy.
Regular use of a Sensory Dark Room allows professionals to monitor visual progress and engage clients in activities that enhance hand-eye coordination and visual tracking. The bright, vivid sensory features stand out against the dark background, making it easier for clients to perceive and respond to visual stimuli.
To achieve the best results, these rooms are typically decorated in dark tones, minimising reflections and maximising contrast. This setup ensures that sensory equipment and lighting effects are clearly visible, creating the most effective environment for visual assessment and development exercises.
A Sensory Dark Room is a specialised type of sensory environment designed to support visual assessment and development. These rooms are widely used by Visual Impairment (VI) teams and Occupational Therapists to evaluate a client’s visual abilities in a controlled setting. Also known as Dark Rooms, VI Rooms, or Blacklight Rooms, they share the same purpose and equipment, offering an ideal space for focused visual exploration and therapy.
Regular use of a Sensory Dark Room allows professionals to monitor visual progress and engage clients in activities that enhance hand-eye coordination and visual tracking. The bright, vivid sensory features stand out against the dark background, making it easier for clients to perceive and respond to visual stimuli.
To achieve the best results, these rooms are typically decorated in dark tones, minimising reflections and maximising contrast. This setup ensures that sensory equipment and lighting effects are clearly visible, creating the most effective environment for visual assessment and development exercises.
The Benefits Of Sensory Dark Rooms
Explore the benefits of sensory dark rooms for a range of users.
Aids Visual Assessments & Progress Tracking
VI or dark rooms provide a controlled environment where lighting and visual stimuli can be carefully adjusted. This makes it easier for educators, therapists and supervisors to assess an individuals visual responses, track improvements over time and identify specific areas that need support. By isolating visual cues, progress can be monitored more accurately and interventions can be better tailored to individual needs.
Visual Processing & Core Skill Development
Dark rooms enhance visual attention and processing by emphasising high-contrast stimuli and controlled lighting effects. This environment encourages exploration, tracking, and interaction, helping users develop essential skills such as spatial awareness, focus, memory, and hand-eye coordination. Over time, these experiences contribute to overall cognitive and sensory development.
Stress Reduction & Emotional Regulation
The calm, dimly lit atmosphere of a VI room helps reduce sensory overload, creating a soothing space for children or individuals with visual or sensory processing challenges. This controlled setting promotes relaxation, supports emotional regulation, and can help decrease anxiety or agitation, allowing users to feel safe and focused during learning or therapy sessions.
The Benefits Of Sensory Dark Rooms
Dark Room Gallery
Dark Room Gallery
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How We Work
How We Work
Design
We will work with you to design the perfect Sensory Environments to meet your needs and budget.
Installation
Our team of experienced engineers will install your system to the Highest Standards.
Training
We include full operational training on how to get the most from your new Sensory Space.
Support
Unrivalled Aftercare Support – Protecting your investment with our maintenance packages.
Design
We will work with you to design the perfect Sensory Environments to meet your needs and budget.
Installation
Our team of experienced engineers will install your system to the Highest Standards.
Training
We include full operational training on how to get the most from your new Sensory Space.
Support
Unrivalled Aftercare Support – Protecting your investment with our maintenance packages.
Key Things To Consider With Sensory Dark Rooms
Key Things To Consider With Sensory Dark Rooms
Creating an effective Blacklight Room or VI Room involves careful attention to lighting, equipment, and layout. The goal is to minimise ambient light while maximising visual contrast, helping users focus on specific sensory elements and visual stimuli.
- Light Control: The room should be as dark as possible. Fit blackout blinds on all internal and external windows, and use door seals or strips at the base to block out ambient light completely.
- Lighting Type: The main feature of any Dark Room should be black light (UV lighting). This emits filtered light around 365nm, reducing visible brightness while making fluorescent and glow-in-the-dark materials stand out vividly against the dark background.
- Sensory Equipment: Our bespoke design process allows us to incorporate sensory equipment based on each individuals needs and the space available. Options range from simple UV-reactive toys and handheld sensory items to interactive panels, bubble tubes, and illuminated wall features.
- Room Design & Layout: Keep the environment free from reflections and clutter. Dark walls and flooring enhance contrast, helping sensory equipment and lighting effects stand out clearly.
Case Studies
At Woodhall Primary School, home to a complex needs unit for 18 pupils with an EHCP, we created a Calming Sensory Space to help children …
Maple View School, part of SENAD Group, is a specialist school on the outskirts of Derby that specialises in education for 6-16 year olds with …
Kettering Science Academy is an inclusive mainstream secondary school, creating a positive environment where every child can succeed and enjoy their learning journey. After identifying …
After identifying two spaces to expand the facilities they could offer the children, we were asked by Mandeville School to create a multi-sensory room enhance …
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What Our Customer's Say
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Who We Have Worked With
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