On Thursday, March 26, the Escambia County Snoezelen Foundation and Escambia Westgate Center celebrated the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Lacey A. Collier Sensory Complex.
History: The concept of a Sensory Center began in 2005 with Westgate’s principal, Ms. Susan Barry. Together, she and Judge Lacey A. Collier gathered people together to make the dream of a sensory center a reality.
Why this matters: Students utilize the areas individually, in small groups or as a whole class depending on the needs of each student. This multi-sensory complex was designed based on the Snoezelen (pronounced SNOO-zuh-len) concept developed in the Netherlands over 30 years ago. The word “snoezelen” is a combination of two Dutch words meaning “to explore” and “to relax.” A Snoezelen multi-sensory environment employs colors, lights, textures, and music to elicit a variety of responses from individuals with disabilities.
- Some of the original Foundation members were present for the celebration. Judge Collier was presented with a “picture quilt” featuring Westgate students enjoying different areas of the Sensory Center.
Currently, the University of West Florida’s Center for Behavior Analysis is working closely with the faculty and staff at Westgate to determine the Snoezelen Center’s impact on classroom behavior. Additionally, the center hosts other district schools, as well as organizations from different states and countries, in order to assist them as they create their own centers.
About 75 people attended the event. Culinary Productions provided hors d’oeuvres. Both the Foundation and Escambia Westgate would like to thank Boogie Inc. for donating their time to provide music at the event.
The Snoezelen Foundation is currently seeking new board members. Anyone interested in joining the board should contact Cathy Rudd at Crudd2@ecsdfl.us.