$9,750 EAF Grant Allows Families to “Learn Through the Senses”

Windsor, ON – In 2023, Connections Early Years Family Centre was named a beneficiary of the Youth Innovation Component of the Government of Canada’s Enabling Accessibility Fund. The Centre received $9,750 to create a multi-sensory room that facilitates equitable, inclusive, and nurturing learning experiences for children with a disability.

While working with individuals with diverse cognitive and physical abilities, Jumana Waez, an appointed Youth Accessibility Leader, noted that environments must account for the importance of special organization and the need for calm spaces. In order to create a safe and therapeutic atmosphere for families, Jumana initiated the project “Learning Through the Senses.”

Creating this multi-sensory room, “Learning Through the Senses,” included installing multi-sensory equipment and tools that purposefully calm or stimulate the visual, tactile, and auditory senses. Sensory tools such as colored LED lights, bubble tube, mirror balls, textured floor dots, and iPads provide children with autonomy for learning. The multi-sensory room will foster an impactful environment for early childhood development at Connections by encouraging children with varying disabilities to communicate with others, socialize with their peers, and process information.

“We are grateful to receive support from Canada’s Enabling Accessibility Fund, thanks to Jumana and her dedication to this project. A multi-sensory room will aid us in our mission of making Connections fully accessible for all families in the community.”

– BARB BROWN, Executive Director, Connections Early Years Family Centre

Connections Early Years Family Centre is committed to providing support, resources, and individualized services to promote the early learning and healthy development of families and their young children from ages 0 to 6. Connections has an EarlyON Centre that offers supportive programs that foster the well-being and engagement of parents and children.

Connections also offer the Be Back Soon Program, a no-cost short-term child care program for families to attend appointments, while their children are cared for by Registered Early Childhood Educators. Additionally, Connections is the lead agency of the Talk 2 Me Preschool Speech & Language Program, the Infant Hearing Program, the Blind-Low Vision Early Intervention Program, the Ontario Autism Program’s Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Program, and the W.E.R.E.C.E. Mentorship Program.

The project is funded in part by the government of Canada’s Enabling Accessibility Fund.

Media Contact

Barb Brown – Executive Director, Connections Early Years Family Centre
519.252.9696 ext. 202 | bbrown@connectwithus.ca