Many children today suffer from some kind of disability & many of these disabilities are related to mental health disorders. Unfortunately most people living with a mental health disorder will never be cured and the best they can hope for is solutions to help the disease be more manageable.
Providing a canopy solution at your school can help remedy many of these difficulties, in this guide we will discuss why providing an exterior canopy for your special needs students can give them the support they need to be successful.
Sensory Rooms
An exterior canopy provides a cheap and fast acting solution to any on-site spacing issues, where a school may have both the desire and the will to provide for their unluckiest students, but is unfortunately lacking the space or perhaps planning permission to expand the building.
Installing an exterior canopy onto the playground as a dual-use shelter will both expand the school’s teachable area, as well as provide adequate rain cover over break-time should the children want for some fresh air.
By moving either a regular or sensory classroom out of the building, schools are better able to efficiently use the space they have leading to an increase in learning retention for all students.
By outfitting your canopy with a number of optional extras you greatly increase the products sensory suitability. From opaque side wall & roof sheeting to reduce light level & overstimulation, to soft foam post protectors to protect any absent minded kids from having a rough meeting with the canopy legs, The Shelter Expert can offer a number of optional extra’s to serve your requirements
Wheelchair accessibility
One of the most popular uses for an exterior canopy is to provide an outdoor seating area so that the children may enjoy their lunches with a breath of fresh air.
With The Shelter Expert, our canopies are designed with wheelchair-bound children in mind. Our design aims to make access to the covered area completely effortless for all children, but particularly so for wheelchair bound children, as even a small incline or bump in the road can be a monumental task to overcome.
The mental health benefits a child could gain from having the independence and the choice to eat where they choose cannot be understated, particularly if that child already suffers from a debilitating condition.
Conclusion
As we’ve covered above, canopies from The Shelter Expert are designed with schools in mind. Whether you need a spot of rain cover, an outdoor activity area, or a sensory room, our canopies can be manufactured to your requirements.
Call the Shelter Expert on 01623 421111 today to make an enquiry!