D4D Research and Projects

Pee Dee's Sensory Room

The PeeDee Sensory Room opened at Minges Coliseum for ECU Basketball’s Autism Awareness game on February 16, 2020.

The PeeDee Sensory Room project provides resources for athletics event attendees who are experiencing sensory overload from the stadium experience. Stadiums all across the country, particularly those of professional sports organizations, are seeking a “sensory inclusion” designation to help promote a more inclusive experience for their attendees who experience sensory overload. 

The project is a partnership between the College of Health and Human Performance, ECU Athletics, Aces for Autism and the Autism Society.

What is sensory overload? Sensory overload occurs when one or more of our five senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound) become overstimulated. The brain is unsure how to react with the competing information. As a result, panic sets in and the person’s response is a need to get away from some of the sensory input it is experiencing, as it perceives it to be harmful. 

Families of persons experiencing sensory overload are often forced to make decisions about whether or not to attend public events or events where the stimulation is unpredictable, narrowing their world and excluding them from participating.

This project seeks to make a positive impact on the experiences of:

• Children and adults with sensory issues and those attending the ECU event with them;
• Stadium staff, mascot, administrators and sensory room support persons who will be learning how to work directly with attendees who are in sensory distress;
• ECU students who will have the opportunity to take part in this as an interprofessional education experience
• Researchers who will help to study the impact of the project on everyone impacted