History

The Hartenberg Institute in the Netherlands developed and refined a unique approach to leisure for people with profound and multiple disabilities. It was coined Snoezelen which is a combination of the Dutch words 'snuffelen', meaning to sniff and 'doeszelen', which means to doze.

The Snoezelen approach advocated a passive nature to the activities that took place within the environment. The idea was to stimulate the primary senses without the need for intellectual activity. Awareness was supported through the principles of leisure and relaxation in an atmosphere of trust and peace. Focus includes:

Child led repertoire, decisions made by the child.
Adults/caregivers play a secondary custodial role.
Emphasis was placed on positive emotional interactions.
Secure, warm, comfortable, gentle environment.

Such facilities believe that people with disabilities should be able to recreate free of the expectations of others including therapy. Learning was seen as secondary or incidental.

The Interactive Approach arose from the evolution of micro technology, which produced interactive switching. It was seen as a means of facilitating personal development and these specialised environments were used to acquire and develop skills. Importance was placed on the educational power of occupation.

Stimulating environments including sound, light effects, olfactory and tactile
Assisting the child through developmental stages,
Teacher directs activity – individually tailored experiences.
Increased participation encourages the user to be active and commutative of their wants and needs.

Philosophical rivalry arose between the two different approaches and many hybrids of the two concepts have emerged: aromatherapy rooms, water therapy, creative spaces, interactive spaces, adventure drama, and massage spaces.

The Southern Centre is a synthesis of the interactive approach and Snoezelen concept. Stimulation can be controlled, manipulated, intensified, reduced, isolated or packaged for active or passive interaction. Experiences can be matched to fit motivational interests, leisure, relaxation, therapeutic or education needs of users. There are spaces for relaxation, recreation/leisure or work. It is also an excellent way for children who have disabilities to interact in an experience with non-disabled children.

The Creation of the Southern Centre

Turning Point 2000 was initiated and core funded by the Christchurch City Council, New Zealand to ensure that Christchurch and Canterbury had a programme of projects and events for the year 2000 that were of great significance and had a lasting impact on future generations.

The Turning Point 2000 Trust was set up in 1996 to raise funds outside Council for the development of specific events and projects, within the official year 2000 calendar. Also in 1996 / 1997 Statistics NZ completed a Disability Survey of Households and a Disability Survey of Residential Facilities. By combining the statistics it was outlined that:

20% of the total population were people with a disability
The Southern region had the highest number of people with a disability in NZ
The Southern region had the highest number of children with multiple disabilities
There are little or no opportunities for leisure / recreation for people with severe or multiple disabilities

In light of these statistics a Multi Sensory Facility was submitted as one of these projects under the Children 2000 focus. It was accepted and a Management Group for the Multi Sensory Facility project was established, consisting of people who worked with and had an interest in people with disability.

A large amount of consultation was conducted with agencies and providers who worked with people with disabilities, to ensure that the multi sensory room would be accessible to a wide range of people with all abilities. It was important to the project that the facility would be sustainable over time and continue to be dynamic, particularly as participants could potentially be attending the facility over a long period of time.

A company was formed in Christchurch called Absolutely Integrated. This company pulled together the talents of Jenny Gosney, David Nicholson and Joe Hayes, who between them had the technical skills in computer programming, a background in working with people with disabilities and the vision, creativity and drive to create a computer software programme that controls 90% of the equipment in the Southern Centre.

This computer programme gave the multi sensory facility the ability to become extremely dynamic and create an infinite number of room environments to cater to the needs of the individual. The programme incorporates switching capabilities, which again gives back the elements of control and choice to the participants of the facility. This technology gave the project the direction and drive to create a one of a kind facility.

With this type of innovative technology being created within Christchurch, it led to the majority of the pieces of equipment also being designed and developed in Christchurch. The equipment could then be developed to work with the software programme and be developed by companies that could provide the back up support once the facility was up and running.

With the project becoming this innovative and unique, the multi sensory facility did not make the deadline of being ready for operation for the Year 2000. Upon the closure of Turning Point 2000 in April 2001, the funding for the multi sensory facility was passed to the Christchurch City Council Leisure Unit, to continue the project. This project was incorporated into the Christchurch City Council Annual Planning Process and it included funding for one staff member to manage the project.

The multi sensory facility has always been a partnership arrangement between the Christchurch City Council and the Management Group, which have now become a Charitable Trust. The Council has been extremely supportive in providing the space for the facility within the QEII Recreation and Sport Centre and providing the budget for staffing and general administration.

The Management Group have the responsibility for sourcing funding for the equipment and software within the facility. In recognition of a major sum of funding at a crucial point in the project, The Southern Trust were granted naming rights for the facility and the project became The Southern Centre Multi Sensory Experience. The Southern Trust are a funding body that support the choices of people with disabilities by enhancing recreation and leisure opportunities.

The Southern Centre Multi Sensory Experience opened it's doors to the public in September 2003. Attendance for the first financial year saw almost 2000 visitors through the room. During 2008 the Southern Centre increased opening hours to include the weekends and the year saw a total of 7189 participants through the centre.

The essence of leisure is freedom of choice. The architectural design, interactive equipment, audio/visual design and Southern Centre philosophy, are tools that can be used by individuals to construct their own space. These elements along with the innovation and creativity of the sensory room has been recognised on the world stage, with the Southern Centre winning the World Leisure Award for Excellence in Innovation in 2006.