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Fourth Ronald McDonald Sensory Room launched at Persatuan Sindrom Down MalaysiaAmpang, 19 JULY 2007 - Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities Fund of Malaysia (RMHC) opened its fourth Ronald McDonald Sensory Room at the Persatuan Sindrom Down Malaysia (PSDM) in a ceremony officiated by Yang Bahagia Dato’ Rafek bin Reshidullah, the Director General of Social Welfare Department.
The Ronald McDonald Sensory Room is a continuing community project initiated by RMHC to benefit mentally disabled children. This Sensory Room provides a full range of sensory stimulation and enjoyable experience in an atmosphere of comfort and relaxation using ‘Snoezelen’, a Multi-Sensory Stimulating system from the United Kingdom which arouses the primary senses of Sight, Hearing, Touch and Smell, for both the interactive and the passive user. The Room plays an important role in helping to rehabilitate mentally disabled children in a relaxed, enjoyable manner. It is also an additional tool for both teachers and therapists to stimulate the children as they help them to develop their senses of touch, smell, sight and hearing. Research has shown that the room can help to reduce hyperactivity, self-inflicted injuries and socially disturbing behaviour and in so doing enhances the children’s well-being. In her speech during the launch, RMHC President, Puan Fadillah Yakin further elaborated, “RMHC has received good response and positive feedback from parents and caregivers of the children who are benefiting from the use of the Ronald McDonald Sensory Room™ in all the other centres to which we have donated the rooms. I am confident that the children here at PSDM will benefit from it too. In line with RMHC’s objective of lending kids a helping hand, we are planning to build more Ronald McDonald Sensory Rooms for children with disabilities throughout the country. Our next beneficiary will be the Yayasan Orang Kurang Upaya Kelantan in Kota Bharu. Our goal is to set up at lease one such facility in each state and to date, we have built 4 such rooms in the country. ” In his speech to officiate the Room, Yang Bahagia Dato’ Rafek bin Reshidullah, the Director General of Social Welfare Department thanked RMHC for this donation to PSDM to benefit the children who attend the centre and welcomed RMHC’s initiative to set up similar projects across the country. He congratulated RMHC for its efforts aimed at helping the country’s underprivileged children. PSDM President Professor Madya Dr. Sharifah Zainiyah binti Syed Yahya further concurred in her speech that RMHC’s thoughtful donation would greatly help Down’s Syndrome children in the centre with their rehabilitation and spur PSDM’s vision “to enhance the quality of life for all individuals with Down’s Syndrome and their families.” Visiting the room as part of the opening ceremony, the children were fascinated and excited as they touched the glowing fibre optic vinyl-covered strands. The walls were illuminated with coloured lights and serene pictures and sweet-smelling fragrance filled the air while soothing music could be heard in the background. The Sensory Room depicted a serene environment which has a calming effect on those using it. The first Ronald McDonald Sensory Room in Malaysia, which cost RM50, 000 was built at the Training Centre for Special Children organised by the Society For the Severely Mentally Handicapped Selangor and Federal Territory (SSMH) in Petaling Jaya in 1999. The second room, which is larger and has more equipment was built at a cost of RM100, 000 at the Bethany Home, Perak in 2005. The third room on the list is located at the Agape Centre in Sibu, Sarawak and was built at a cost of RM98, 300. 
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