Tolerance Is Not Inclusion
‘Tolerance’! The horror!
Who in the world wants to be tolerated?
When I, personally, feel that my neighbor is gritting their teeth and tolerating my (irritating, untoward, disruptive) presence, I do not feel tolerated.
I feel ill at ease, uncomfortable, and condescended to.
When I am merely tolerated, clearly, I Do Not Belong.
And as Brené Brown declares, in her marvelous volume, Atlas of the Heart (which I devoured over one short weekend), belonging is a fundamental need of all humans.
Sensory interior design builds inclusion into the walls. Our mission is to co-create a world which goes beyond tolerance.
We do this by creating spaces which foster inclusion and community, taking the needs of the most vulnerable into account.
- A classroom with noise buffering helps noise-sensitive kids focus–and all the other ones, too.
- Removing fluorescent fixtures and replacing with indirect, filtered and natural lighting allows autistic people to process images–and is more comfortable for everyone else.
- Quiet rooms attached to chaotic places like convention centers allow families, the elderly, the disabled and exhausted to rest–making the events more accessible for everyone.
What can you do to make your home, school or place of business more structurally inclusive?
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The Eccentric Genius Habitat Intervention
Your space, your nervous system.
Most of us were never taught how our bodies actually experience a room–the light, the sound, the layout, the smell–and what happens when those things work against us instead of for us.
This free seven-day course is a gentle introduction to sensory design. Each day brings one exercise–noticing what you feel, photographing what you’ve been editing out, dreaming about what you actually want. The exercises are all optional, and you can go as deep as you like.
By the end, you’ll understand more about why certain rooms drain you, what your body knows about your home, and how to start shifting without stressing out.
Sign up below. Your first email arrives within the hour.
Practical Sanctuary, sensory interior design, specializes in interior design for highly sensitive people.
We help you create spaces which are:
