Helping young people with additional needs to find their way around a learning space.
Photo credit Steve Hesketh
- Client: West Gate School / Category: Design, School Shaping, Arts, Community Consultation, Children & Young People
West Gate is a school which works with a wide range of children and young people with mental disabilities. It is nationally recognised for its expertise in autism.
Moving into a new school building, with 4 near identical corridors presented navigational issues for many of the young people at the school.
The solution was to illuminate each corridor with different coloured light. In each corridor too, large photographs of local places were hung, one corridor featured nature, another historic places, another sporting landmarks and the final one city landmarks.
These images not only help the young people to find their way around their school but also familiarise them with local landmarks so that they will recognise them when they see them in real life.
Additionally these photographs contain coding which enable them to be linked to videos of class days out, and other films which enable and enhance learning.