Tucked away in the halls of Jones, a special room sits quietly, patiently waiting for people who may need it.
For fans of Harry Potter, this is not the Room of Requirement. For fans of The Chronicles of Narnia, this room does not lead to a hidden forest. For Goldey-Beacom students, faculty, staff, and visitors, the Lightning Sensory Room is a quiet place to reset, de-stimulate, and regulate your nervous system. While it may seem magical to some, there’s no sorcery at play.
Rooms like this are critical for students who identify as having a disability or may be on the spectrum. They feature dark walls, dim lighting, and tactile experiences like interactive artwork. Everything in the space is intentional. It’s there to calm, not to stimulate. Bean bag chairs, cushy furniture, or a bench that changes color when you sit on it are all there for lounging. Whether you read, listen to music (using headphones), or just need complete silence, the space feels like an oasis away from the brightly lit hallways that surround it.
Don’t misunderstand, we want GBC to feel bright, warm, and welcoming! But too much of anything can be a bit overwhelming, and the Sensory Room provides an opportunity for people to step away, take a deep breath, and reset before continuing with their day.
Since its opening in Spring 2026, many students and GBC community members find the room to be enjoyable. For others, it’s a lifeline.
Take Lavance John: Lavance is a rising senior, president of the Accessible Voices Alliance student group, president of the Lit Club (short for literature), and an overall active student on campus. On any given school day, you can find Lavance walking the halls, moving from classes to a meeting, checking in with professors, or now, working in the Lightning Sensory Room.
Commuting to and from campus has been a regular occurrence since Lavance enrolled at GBC, and finding a quiet place to reset was difficult. Residential students have the option of going back to their room or apartment. But for those on campus all day as commuters, quiet spaces were sometimes hard to find.
GBC is a small campus with only a handful of buildings, which means students with a variety of different needs would be populating similar spaces. Study groups would use the library, meaning a soft chatter was present. The cafeteria would be bustling with people catching up over lunch or dinner. The student lounge might have games of pool or ping pong going on, and with only a few quiet pods, many times they would already be occupied. Finding a hideaway to de-stimulate could prove challenging, and not everyone wants to, or should have to, sit in their car to find a little peace.
Not to mention, if students take the bus, they don’t have a car to sit in.
Lavance affirms, “For people like me who want to sit and relax and do assignments, it was often difficult to find a spot on campus.”
When the Sensory Room was created, it was life changing for many students.
If you’re a member of the GBC community, you know Lavance is a very active student around campus. When the Sensory Room opened and we needed student workers to staff the room, he was shoulder-tapped to apply for the job. Having a familiar face to greet you is comforting, and Lavance has the temperament to make you feel at ease.
Previously, he worked as a dishwasher in the school cafeteria, an intern in the Registrar’s office, and was a micro-internship student with the marketing department. Lavance applied and underwent an interview process, with the gratifying result of being offered the position. When asked what it was like working in the Sensory Room, he replied, “The Sensory Room gave me a lot of responsibility I didn’t know I needed to commit to.”
He explained that not everyone who walks into the Sensory Room is there for the same reason. Some people stroll in to look for a listening ear, to connect. Others come through because they really want to be as alone as possible. And that type of hands-on learning is important to experience during your college years. Many of us start a job and think it will play out one way, then after a few weeks realize it’s something entirely. Maybe it’s even better than what we expected.
Because Lavance knows firsthand how difficult it can be to regulate your nervous system when overstimulated, he takes an empathetic approach with visitors, trying to meet everyone where they’re at, while still upholding the boundaries of the space. It’s a delicate balance.
“It’s a calm environment for me, but it makes me feel even better helping other people feel calm and helping other people relax after a busy day or a busy semester,” he says. Working in this position has shifted his perspective and opened his eyes to different challenges students face at GBC.
Moving forward, Lavance is interested in courses and certifications that will help him support students who use the Lightning Sensory Room. He’s realizing what he doesn’t know, or would like to know, and has the drive to learn.
And as for the Sensory Room, it’s an inclusive space. And inclusive means inclusive, but there are boundaries. Lavance wants to be as accommodating as possible to as many people as possible, while keeping the purpose of the room at the forefront. It’s not a rage room, a yoga studio, a meeting room for group projects, or a place to play loud music. Think of it like the quiet car on a train: soft whispers are okay, but we want to keep things serene.
As Lavance moves into his final chapter at GBC (his senior year), he hopes to get more students involved in his clubs. He’s riding the waves, staying humble and focused on what matters, and cultivating joy. Really, that’s what he hopes to be remembered for as he moves on from GBC: leaving a positive, joyful legacy.
The Lightning Sensory Room opened at Goldey-Beacom College in Spring 2026 and quickly became a KultureCity certified space. This room supports our ongoing efforts to create an inclusive and accessible environment for all students and community members.
Valerie Lane is a higher education professional, marketer, and writer. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and women's studies from West Chester University ('14), and a master's in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware ('16). In 2026, she was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship as an Emerging Artist for Creative Nonfiction by the Delaware Division of the Arts. When she's not running around Goldey-Beacom College capturing content for social media, she can be found writing personal essays on Substack, knitting a sweater, in the middle of a yoga class, or caring for her two cats.
Goldey-Beacom College is a Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
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