About Us

The sensory Xperience began as an idea one Saturday morning in mid October 2022. The idea began as a basic initial concept, then after much thought and discussion, by mid November, the idea had grown, became a reality, and quickly developed into the 7 month project it became, opening the doors to the public for the first time on 4th July 2023. We wanted more than just a sensory room or space, we wanted to provide a comprehensive multi-sensory centre. 

A little about our own personal story……….we are a family of five. Mum and dad (Colleen and Ciaran), daughter, who is 22 years of age, and our two sons, now aged 12 and 10. Our daughter graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Law last year and is in employment in a property management company in Armagh. Our two sons are Autistic, Global Processing Delay, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), which presents both of them with severe learning difficulties. Our youngest son, who is non verbal, uses an ACC communication device to communicate and our oldest son has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD) and they both attend Lisanally Special School in Armagh.

During the process of having our oldest son diagnosed with ASD, we realised very quickly that there is a lack of adequate support and resources available to children with additional needs and their parents/carers. Then, when our youngest son displayed certain characteristics as he became a toddler, despite us having much more understanding of the process, it was not much easier, and again the lack of support and resources were still very apparent. Diagnosis was only part of the story though. Things that would normally be straightforward for many, simply weren’t for us. Such things as a family day trip, or a visit to a restaurant,  a trip to the doctor or dentist, sometimes even a simple trip to the local shop, often took extra thought and planning, and sometimes even then plans can go out the window very quickly, and for no apparent reason. More serious issues such as education were particularly difficult to navigate. Never a quiet day in our house, and despite all the hurdles, big and small, family life is great. We’re incredibly proud of all our children, and the boys are two absolute characters! But every day is a school day and we never stop learning!

Back to our project…………………………..

There are very few resources, both locally and countrywide, that are designed to cater towards people with additional needs, both children and adults, or their parents/carers. This is despite the longstanding and ever-growing need for that diversity within modern society. While some people with special needs can reasonably, or even easily, cope with activities that are considered “normal”, so many simply cannot, and the options beyond the “normal” are extremely limited.

When we began brainstorming about what quickly became known as The sensory Xperience, we had some very clear aims in mind. We wanted somewhere safe and secure, where everyone felt comfortable and no-one ever had to say sorry, and no-one felt that they, or their loved ones, were judged. Somewhere that catered towards inclusivity for those with additional needs, simply just to allow everyone to be themselves, and allow them some of the opportunities that not everywhere can offer, opportunities that so many others can readily enjoy. It was important for us, to create somewhere that parents and carers could gain some benefit from, as parents and carers are often the forgotten ones. We wanted to have a large space, with different environments within that space, to try to cater for as many needs as possible. It was almost like gathering up all our thoughts from the many experiences we’ve had with our boys over the years and imagining a place that we’d all love to go to and all enjoy. It was also very important for us to get professional guidance with the project and in this respect we were very, very lucky to work with Shanua @ Abil-OT, a qualified Occupational Therapist (OT), who herself has a son with additional needs.

Almost five months on from first receiving the keys of our premises in Armagh, The sensory Xperience opened its doors for the first time on 4th July 2023! After countless hours, much stress and an incredible amount of work, we believe we’ve created a space that not only meets our own expectations and aims, but also has the capacity to evolve and develop further, much as it has done ever since first opening. Much more importantly, we believe we’ve created a space that everyone who visits will enjoy and gain benefit from, be they a child, a young person or an adult, with additional needs, or their parents or carers ……. but we’ll let everyone else be the judge of that!!!

Check out our 5 star reviews (Google and Facebook), testimonials and our visitor feedback. We have been told that our photos and descriptions do not do our multi-sensory centre proper justice - and a visit is needed to experience it in the flesh, and fully appreciate all The sensory Xperience has to offer.