Old Town Municipality equipped Mjedenica Institute's sensory room

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Old Town Municipality of Sarajevo continues its support for the Mjedenica Public Institution for Special Education and Upbringing of Children. Today, a specially equipped sensory room was opened for children with sensory integration disorder, the equipping of which was financed by the Old Town Municipality. At the same time, an agreement was signed on financial support for a project to assist primary school students with speech and language disorders, worth 7,000 KM.

The agreement was signed by the Mayor of the Old Town Municipality, Ibrahim Hadžibajrić, and the Director of the Mjedenica Institute, Mirsada Čakal. Director Čakal stated in her address that it would take a long time to list all the projects financed and initiated by the Old Town Municipality for the benefit of the Mjedenica Institute and its users: "I want to express my endless gratitude to Mayor Hadžibajrić and his administration for this and all previous projects, both personally and on behalf of the employees, students, and their parents," said Director Čakal.

Mayor Ibrahim Hadžibajrić emphasized that assisting this institution is an obligation: "It is our great obligation to help the Mjedenica Institute, which we will certainly continue to do in the future. I believe that the Mjedenica Institute should have the support not only of the Old Town Municipality but also of all other levels of government," Mayor Hadžibajrić conveyed. A sensory room is a specially equipped space that will be used by individuals with sensory integration disorder. Within this room, they have the opportunity to explore and develop their sensory skills. This type of therapy is used in working with children with developmental disabilities and is of great importance. A sensory room with various elements helps stimulate senses such as sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.

"We decided on elements that will help us develop the most essential skills in children. I will highlight the special swing and bed, the starry sky, mats with geometric shapes, all accompanied by sound effects," said Zumreta Jejina, a pedagogue at the Institute, who demonstrated all the functions of this room with the children. This is the best-equipped room of its kind in the Sarajevo Canton and will be available to other institutions as well.

Selmir Hadžić, an employee of the Institute, is one of the initiators of this sensory room equipping project: "A sensory room is definitely something new, even for specialized institutions, and this will certainly improve the education system for persons with developmental disabilities," stated Hadžić, confirming that, according to the data they have, it is perhaps the best-equipped room of its kind in the region.

The sensory room was equipped in three phases; the first two were financed by USAID and the Federal Ministry of Education and Science, and the third, the most expensive phase, in the amount of 21,000 KM, was financed by the Old Town Municipality.