The Brief

There’s a room in a South Bay library where stars sparkle on the ceiling, fish and bubbles float in a glowing tube and a giant beanbag chair beckons from the floor.

You can step on tiles and watch bright colors swirl under your feet, look into a mirror and see your reflection in a swirling tunnel of light and run your hands across a crunchy-smooth wall of sequins.

There are books on the shelves about disability, autism and neurodivergence. Dominoes, colorful magnetic tiles, interlocking gears and other games and toys fill the plastic drawers.

Welcome to the sensory room at Harbor City-Harbor Gateway Branch Library, the first of its kind in the Los Angeles Public Library system.

“I don't really want to be the quiet library where you can only come and sit at the hard wooden table and you know, quietly read a book,” said Stephanie Sutton, the branch’s young adult librarian. “I think that there is a place for that … but kids and teens, in general, they want a cozier space, a space where they feel welcome, where they can say, ‘This is a space for me.’”

The room, which opens to the public Thursday, is part of a multi-library effort to welcome people who may process the world a bit differently into spaces typically associated with calm and order.

“For kids, there's a lot more opportunity for self-exploration,” Sutton said. ”It's a much more inspiring space, but it's also a safer, more welcoming space.”

Defining neurodiversity

At least 14% of California students have a known learning or physical disability, and some estimates suggest the population could be much larger.

People with autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities or traumatic brain injuries may identify as neurodivergent.

“Neurodiversity is the idea that there are lots of different ways that brains work and that all of those ways are valuable and important and valid in our community and in our society,” occupational therapist Kira Bender said.

She’s hosted parenting workshops at the library and acted as a consultant on the development of the library sensory spaces.

One trait under the neurodiversity umbrella is processing sights, sounds, textures, tastes and smells differently. For example, one person might not be able to sit still and concentrate, or melts down when spending time in a brightly lit environment.

Bender said if a patron goes to the library but is too overwhelmed by sensory input, they may have to leave before they can reach their goal for visiting.

“They won't be able to take advantage of the resources that should be available for all members of that community,” Bender said.

Many of the features in the sensory room are meant to be touched, including these lights, which change color with a tap.

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Mariana Dale

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Kids can use the light board to explore colors, shapes and letters.

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Bender said it’s a misconception that neurodivergent people are not social and don’t want to visit public spaces.

“They want to connect with their communities and their environments in the same ways that everybody else does,” Bender said. “It's just that the systems and the spaces are not necessarily accessible to them.”

Creating a 'more magical' space for all families

The library has long offered services for people with disabilities including audiobooks, dyslexic-friendly fonts in e-books and career and education resources.

In recent years, the library started hosting “sensory story times” for small groups with toys like putty and squishy bracelets to engage children’s senses while they listened. Then three locations started piloting “sensory kits” filled with tools and toys that families could check out like a book.

“Library spaces are not meant to be static,” said youth services librarian Kadie Seitz. “They're meant to adapt and change and grow with the needs of our communities that we serve.”

Youth Services Librarian Kadie Seitz demonstrates one type of flexible seating that allows kids to sit backwards and bounce slightly in place. There are also beanbag chairs and "wobble" stools that allow kids to move in different ways. “What we really try to put in these spaces is that there's something for everyone,” Seitz said.

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But changing the physical space is expensive, so the library applied for a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services to renovate spaces in five branches with the neurodiverse community in mind.

The Central Library, Arroyo Seco, Canoga Park and Harbor City-Harbor Gateway branches each received $20,000. A private donor also contributed $20,000 to the Venice Branch.

“We had applied for future IMLS funds to continue and expand the positive work that we're doing,” Seitz said. “Unfortunately that is not going to happen, but we are looking for other resources in the future.”

The Trump administration recently put the entire staff of the independent federal library and museum agency on leave, and its future — and funding for local libraries — is uncertain. The California State Library has lost at least $3 million in funding so far.

Harbor City targeted a room in the northeast corner of the library with a large gray table and several chairs used for studying. The renovation also included refreshing the furniture and decorations in the children and teen spaces.

“This was all remodeled and reconfigured to transform it from sort of what used to be a utilitarian functional space into something a little bit more magical,” said Sutton, the young adult librarian. “A little bit more in line with what the library tries to be for the community, which is just a much more engaging, vibrant environment.”

The librarians consulted with Bender, the occupational therapist, and also referenced sensory spaces at other libraries, including in Alameda County and Danbury, Connecticut.

Bender said the introduction of the sensory room aligns with a concept called the curb-cut effect: Think of the part of a street curb with sloped breaks. They were originally added to help people in wheelchairs move from the street to the sidewalk — but they also make it easier for people pushing strollers, riding bikes or pulling a wagon of groceries.

“When a space or a system is designed for the needs of the population that needs it the most, they're actually able to enable participation and access for everyone,” Bender said.

Sutton said the sensory room offers kids, teens and families options. “You could just sit down and chill out and listen to the soothing sounds of the bubble tube and pet the seal,” Sutton said. The seal, right, did not yet have a name when LAist visited the library in April, but patrons may be invited to weigh in.

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Mariana Dale

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For example, the sensory room offers toys and tools that are accessible to all children, not just those who identify as neurodivergent.

“Even before a child is able to understand spoken words or written words, they are able to touch and feel and hear and taste sometimes in order to interact with their environment,” Bender said.

Sutton said her daughter also informed the development of the space. She is neurodivergent and processes sensory information differently from her twin brother.

“When I have brought her to the library over the last nine years ... she's running around, she's making noise, she has a hard time sitting still,” Sutton said.

Now when she visits, she can choose from a variety of chairs including stools, beanbags that vibrate, and a disk that allows you to sit cross-legged and wobble. (Running is still not allowed in the library — walking feet are encouraged).

“It was really special then to be able to say I have some experience with this,” Sutton said. ”How can I then share that with the community?”