Category Archives: In the media

Rompa have been involved in a number of high profile sensory room installations and this is where you can read about them.

Purple Tuesday – The UK’s Accessible Shopping Day

Autism, In the community, In the media, Installations

For people with hidden disabilities a shopping trip can be an overwhelming ordeal as loud noises, bright lights, crowds and unusual smells flood the senses. This experience can leave an autistic child (for example) feeling very agitated and unhappy, making the shopping trip impossible for both them and their parent or carer. This is one of the many reasons why the disability organisation Purple, with endorsement from the Department for Work and Pensions have introduced Purple Tuesday.

Taking place on Tuesday 13th November 2018, Purple Tuesday is the UK’s first accessible shopping day. On this day major retailers and shopping centres are expected to promote accessible shopping by making one long term commitment which makes their venue more inclusive and improves the shopping experience for disabled customers. This could mean installing a sensory room where people with hidden disabilities can go to for some quiet time after or during the shopping trip or introducing a quiet hour.

Making Shopping Inclusive is big business

  • The purple pound is worth £249 billion to the UK economy
  • Autism affects 1 in 100 That’s over 700,000 people in the UK which means that
  • Approximately 2.8m people have a relative on the Autism Spectrum.
  • More than 11 million people in the UK are considered disabled

Rompa proudly supports Purple Tuesday and similar initiatives

Rompa have worked with many businesses in the retail sector that have taken the initiative to make their venues more inclusive. For example, Meadowhall Shopping centre asked us to provide a pop-up sensory room in aid of Autism Awareness Week. The feedback from this was so positive that a permanent sensory room has now made an addition to their facilities as well as a Rompa corner kit being installed into the baby changing area.

Here at Rompa we provide a variety of products for not only shopping centres to consider for Purple Tuesday but for parents and carers alike during their shopping trip. 

Take a look at our tactile range of products: https://www.rompa.com/purple-tuesday

Rompa Award Leads to Sensory Integration Expansion Within OT Services

In the media, ,

Samantha Shard received the 2013 Rompa Quality of Life Award. The aim of this project was to develop occupational therapy services for school aged children who have a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The project focused on sensory processing difficulties, considering both modulation and praxis in children aged four to seven year olds, who were current patients of the OT service within Bassetlaw Health Partnership (Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust).

sensory-integration-equipment

Sensory Integration Equipment

A therapist with sensory integration training and a technical instructor held weekly sensory integration sessions over eight to twelve weeks. The main aim of this was to support attention skills as a foundation for learning and to identify and address motor planning difficulties impacting on occupational performance.The Rompa award supported an OT to complete the Sensory Integration Module two/three training through the Sensory Integration Network. The voucher funded essential resources required to enhance the sensory integration experience and encouraged the child to lead the planning of activities.

Goal attainment scaling was used to measure the effectiveness of attending these sessions and proved beneficial in capturing positive changes in the attention and tactile processing skills. This project has had a significant impact on the OT service within Bassetlaw Health Partnership. A successful outcome has highlighted the relevance of a sensory integration approach with different patient groups within the paediatric service.

As a direct a direct result of this project, joint working has improved among allied health professionals and joint clinics are being explored with infants and toddlers. The profile of the service has also been raised dramatically together with an increase in other services/agencies understanding of what sensory integration is. The importance of sensory Sensory integration training within the occupational therapy service is being recognised and supported across of staff levels. Further sensory integration clinics are being planned to continue the ongoing development of this approach within the OT paediatric OT service.

First published in OT News, February 2014

Children in Need | DIY SOS: The Big Build

BBC Children in Need, In the media, , ,

Dan Casey

Dan Casey

The question on everyones lips in the office this morning is “Did you see it?” The answer is always “Yes! Wasn’t great?” This now familiar conversation has echoed round the warehouse, production floor and office and there is a real buzz at Rompa’s involvement in such a worthy cause. The worthy cause in question was a project to renovate The Yard in Edinburgh, a play centre for Children with special needs, that saw 300 trades and suppliers descend to completely overhaul the dilapidated centre in just 9 days.

 

Rompa’s part in this project was to donate a state of the art sensory room that children will use to stimulate or relax their state as required. Among the many items in the BBC sensory room where Rompa’s Talking Cube controller, Colour Match Panel, Bubble Tube and one of our latest innovations the Rompa Bubble Wall!

The open mouth reactions to the room by the DIY SOS team when they played with the Talking Cube and saw the colour of all the components in room change in unison was priceless. There were tears of joy on reveal day and more astoundment from The Yard’s staff when they saw the room. We’re all very proud of Rompa’s involvment in Children in Need and special thanks go to James C and Mark J for delivering such a successful sensory room.

For a full list of items installed in the BBC Children in Need sensory room and individual reactions to project from those involved visit our Children in Need page by clicking here.