For the fourth consecutive year, Fundacion MAPFRE has partnered up with Inspire Foundation through a generous dona­tion that will allow the latter’s specialised services for children and adults with a disability to continue. The sum of €53,000 has been contributed to cover the running costs of one of Inspire’s therapeutic facilities – the Multi-Sensory Rooms (MSR).

The MSR are a unique service offered to individuals with various disabilities, who attend one of Inspire Foundation’s specialised programmes. The service enables professionals to work with their clients to help them achieve their goals, or as a means of complimenting any existing therapies they may be undergoing.

The multisensory rooms are designed to be a fun environment which assists clients in meeting their therapeutic goals. In the past 12 months, Inspire delivered 488 sessions to benefit around 170 clients.

The MSR provide an opportunity to educate through the stimulation of senses, helping individuals who face difficulties in everyday activities. These can include difficulty in paying attention, restlessness, difficulty in engaging with others and other behavioural challenges.

These multisensory theatres are used to create events that focus on particular senses such as touch, vision, sound and movement. It gives people control – possibly for the first time in their lives. It enables people with any degree of disability to change and influence their environments in a positive way.

An environment that is fun and interactive

Paula Doumanov, chief ser­vices officer at Inspire Foundation, said: “Thanks to the incredibly generous support of Mapfre, the children and young adults with disability attending our programmes can continue to benefit from the use of these unique rooms. The facilities available provide an opportunity for the children in our autism programmes to feel calm, supported and focused, as well as providing a space for them to interact with others.

“The young adults in our STAR 25 programme, who have profound multiple learning difficulties, are able to have some control over their environment while also benefitting from freedom of movement.

“The MSR is a fantastic ser­vice that compliments the programmes and enables us to work on a range of skills that will help our clients achieve their objectives in an environment that is fun and interactive.”

Felipe Navarro Lopez de Chicheri, president and CEO of Mapfre Middlesea, said: “We feel privileged to be able to help out such local initiatives and are more than happy to once again pledge our support towards Inspire Foundation. The support demonstrated by Fundacion MAPFRE is really wonderful, especially when we know that the beneficiaries of these multi-sensory rooms will be receiving nothing but the best.”

Inspire Foundation provides educational, therapeutic and leisure services to children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders. The organisation’s educational and therapeutic services are accredited by the National Autistic Society (UK).

Fundacion Mapfre, a non-profit institution of Mapfre Group, is a leading global foundation committed to people’s well-being and social progress. It contributes to improving people’s quality of life and the progress of society through multinational programmes and activities.