$15,000 Sentara grant to fund library multi

By [email protected] | on August 31, 2023

The South Boston Public Library will soon become a place where individuals and families can enjoy the benefits of multi-sensory indoor spaces — an outgrowth of a movement to redefine autism and other conditions as a difference, not a disability, of the human mind.

The Halifax County-South Boston Public Library System and the Friends of the Library announced this week that Sentara has contributed $15,000 to the library system’s Multi-Sensory Space and Increased Accessibility project.

With the funding, the South Boston library branch will develop multi-sensory accommodations for neurodivergent individuals, those whose brain function may make it difficult to adapt to conventional public settings.

The neurodiversity movement seeks to redefine conventional notions of autism and what is commonly known as being “on the spectrum,” by putting forward the idea that social models of disability should adapt to the needs of individuals, rather than the other way around.

The $15,000 donation by Sentara will support the development of a multi-sensory room at the library, and the donation also will be utilized to create bins containing STEAM and sensory educational resources for the children’s areas of the South Boston and Halifax libraries. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education.

The Sentara grant will further support the development of programs for neurodivergent individuals in the outdoor garden area of the South Boston Public Library.

Jay Stephens, director of the Halifax County-South Boston Public Library System, said the Sentara grant award reflects a growing awareness of the diverse mental health needs of Halifax County residents.

“We looked around [Halifax County] to see if there were any things like this in the community, any type of sensory rooms and resources for individuals, especially children, who have neurodivergent issues,” said Stephens. “We didn’t find anything open to the general public free of charge. We thought we’d take the opportunity to create something for people who need it.”

According to the survey done by the library as a part of Sentara’s Community Health Needs Assessment for Halifax County, 78 percent of respondents identified behavioral, and mental health needs as areas of local concern. The grant will be used to help improve the mental, behavioral, and emotional health of individuals struggling with neurodivergent issues, such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, sensory processing disorder, social anxiety, and other conditions.

The library system will use the Sentara grant to provide resources that include squishy animal toys and a dark tent, which will be set up in the multi-sensory room — a place where neurodivergent children who need time for themselves can spend their library visits.

“The dark tent is a black tent [where] a child could go in there if they want peace and quiet. They can go off to themselves,” Stephens said.

“According to information from the website for the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion, up to 20 percent of the general population is neurodivergent. Using this percentage on the population of Halifax County, that would mean approximately 6,750 residents of Halifax County have some type of neurodivergent condition and could benefit from the resources and programs that this grant will make possible,” Stephens added.

Applying for the grant was an eye-opening experience, one that Stephens said taught him a great deal about the neurodivergent community. “When we started this, I had to learn quite a bit. In a nutshell, it’ll be a number of things that will help the users focus their energy, help them be calm, and help them concentrate on certain tasks. A lot of things will have a certain feel to them.”

An example of this will take place in programs in the garden area at the South Boston library. Research from gardeningknowhow.com was used in the grant application, which observed that “autism gardening therapy is becoming a fantastic therapeutic tool.”

The grant will help connect neurodivergent individuals of all ages to the library as a safe, reliable resource in the community, said Stephens.

“I think for us it provides another opportunity to reach another part of the community that we’ve been lacking in reaching out to and give them a space. It gives [neurodivergent people] another chance to get involved with the library. It gives them a place to go free of charge, and they’ll have resources attuned to their needs. I think it’s beneficial for both sides — it gets more people in the library, and it gives them a comfortable, calm environment,” Stephens said.

With the contribution, Sentara reinforces a shared commitment to create healthier communities through partnerships with organizations and individuals, the Halifax County-South Boston Public Library stated in a media release announcing the grant award.

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