im wondering if anyone knows who i shoud donate sensory equipment to

[LDAutie]

hi, i have a few rompa sensory items in my place that are either just to big for my place or dont suit my physical needs.

my appointee has kicked off about me donating some of the items as she sees it as a waste of money whereas ive always put the idea of making someones life a bit better above selling equipment-ive given away lots of perfect condition equipment to special schools,friends etc-i believe if you cant use something anymore,give it to someone else who who will make lots of use out of it,and tell them to do the same when they stop using it,it makes more sense to me to help other people than to make a bit of money out of it.

i didnt want to stick it on groups or apps like olio/nextdoor etc as you never know if someone is just getting it off you to sell.

the organisation who support me also own a huge sensory centre in the NW which i used to use a lot (until they stopped looking after it properly and stopped letting you change the ipad settings yourself to slow lights down,choose your own music etc) and they told me to give the squishy adult chair i have to them but im not giving to anything with this support organisations name on because of how little they pay sstaff and the abuse ive gone on to suffer across a number of their care homes.

so im stuck,who do i give my equipment to,knowing its definately going to get used and not just get sold to make them quick money ?

does mencap (not the charity shops) take equipment for the service users to use?

im in central manchester and ive spoke to some of the mencap staff through the email before and theyve told me mencap services are in the north of manchester, mencap are definately welcome to them.

[Evoke13xt]

Hi LDAuntie. Do you have a list of the items? With thanks.

[LDAutie in reply to Evoke13xt]

hi Evoke13xt im sorry ive only just got back to you,i didnt realise you had posted.

are you part of a charity/organisation/a residential home etc?

im a bit wary of giving the main items i have away to just anyone because of past bad experiences but i will seriously look at families/people with additional needs to.

ive got three or four items that need a home,a large rompa squishy armchair made out of blue vinyl-almost brand new apart from the fact my cat slept on it a few times-my physical disabilities were to much of a barrier for me using it,a rompa floor standing tube trail (i think theyre called that, you put the balls down it,my sensory area is to tiny for it now), a 'used' heavy sensory direct weighted blanket,suitable for larger adults-i have very progressive peripheral neuropathy so cant use it anymore, the weights can be taken out of the cloth and then the cloth washed, however i was using it a long while ago, i was painting a picture with oil based paint and some of it got on the weighted blanket, oil based stains are unremovable but still nothing wrong with using the blanket,i think all weights are there id have to check and also see about it getting washed as its being lying unused for some time now and my cats fur will stick to everything but himself.

i might have more bits,i have a fibre optic switch adapted twister light with a blue switch,if i can find it thats on the list to.

[Evoke13xt in reply to LDAutie]

Hi and thanks for getting back to me. Was looking for a bubble tower for our brain injured son. New are too pricey. But thank you.

[LDAutie in reply to Evoke13xt]

hi Evoke13xt i agree they are really badly expensive and it isnt fair on those with sensory needs.

you face problems with bigger bubble tubes like i do though-the water will turn green over time and block where the bubbles comes out, which needs someone who knows their bubble tube insides and DIY in order to make a special bespoke brush that reaches the bottom,plus several full flushes out.if its in an area where natural light reaches it, my dad puts rompa BCB algaecide treatment in mine (its 2 meter tall and i swear by it as its so relaxing but its to expensive).

you coud set up a go fund me page and use it to raise money for sensory items for your son,itd need a lot of advertising on facebook etc as ive seen quite a few people get no donations as they dont get their page out there,ive seen people use it to pay for beer money for themselves so im all for supporting the sensory needs of others.

im just thinking....the switch adapted tornado light woud be perfect for your son as its very similar to the bubble tube in the experience and imersion it gives the user,and you are very welcome to the light and switch if you woud like.

it works very similar to the bubble tube, being switch adapted is probably even more acessible for your son-these switches make a lot of equipment acessible for people with complex physical disabilities and PMLD for example,for me it makes my behaviors less obvious,im calmer and i dont need diazepam as much-its hard to write about it without posting pictures as im at my parents house right now trying to fix the mess my dads done with his laptop, but when i get back tonight ill have a look for the light and switch,record it and stick it on youtube for you so you can see it working.

it does need batteries (they cant be taken out easily,they are screwed in) or a suitable AC adapter, we dont have a suitable screw driver for that screw anymore,and it needs some new batteries in i think to get it back to its fine colours and tornado effects-it works fine now its just slower and not as bright.

woud the ball trail be of interest to you both? it doesnt take up to much room i dont think (though it does if your in a tiny flat like mine),and you can see highly coloured balls run down the tube as often as you put them in, it makes a little noise as it runs down the crinkly tubes and there is two boxes at the bottom where the balls run into so they dont go all over the floor.

i know of a couple of sensory places with bubble tubes your son may like that arent expensive like space in preston, boomerangs, in bury (i think i paid something like £8 for a private adult session in the sensory room which has a bubble tube and a ball pool and water bed,and projector),theres also redbank house in manchester, which is £10 i think for hourly adult private sessions.

all worth a look.

[Evoke13xt in reply to LDAutie]

Thank you for all your very useful information. So much good advice we have decided to stall on all decisions re equipment and do a lot more research. Thanks to you!