There were colourful scenes when the St George School held its open day this week.
St George School is a special school for students with severe physical and multiple disabilities from preschool to year 12.
The school held an inspection of the students' activity programs for some of its major supporters to bring them up to date with the school's programs.
Guests were shown around by Garry Morris, founder and secretary of the Morris Children's Fund, which was established in 2005 as the St George Children with Disabilities Fund.
The charity works to improve the quality of life of children with severe physical and multiple disabilities individually and as a group.
This includes providing equipment, music therapy and other activities for the students at St George School, Cairnsfoot School at Brighton, Bates Drive Drive School at Kareela, Minerva School at Sutherland as well as St George and Sutherland Hospital schools.
There were demonstration of painting, drumming and the school's eye gaze program, made famous by Stephen Hawking.
The visitors also got to experience the school's unique Immersion Room, an interactive sound and light experience which enables the children to familiarise themselves with life experiences such as visiting a shopping centre or using public transport.
There are also scenes of autumn landscapes, the night sky, underwater landscapes, whales singing and penguins projected onto the walls and floor.
St George School Assistant Principal Victoria Thompson gave the guests a demonstration of the Immersion room.
"It is an interactive, calming experience," she said.
"We are trying to enable the children to familiarise themselves with experiences such as visiting a shopping centre or travelling on a train.
"Some of the children have trouble in shopping centres so this is to try and make them adaptable in social situations.
"The room also provides a calming experience. If a child is a little bit unsettled we can bring them here and calm them with a variety of experiences. A teacher might bring them in to experience the forest scene, just to enjoy nature.
"They also love the aquarium scene which becomes interactive as the students touch the wall or the floor making the fish blow bubbles or move around.
"We try to provide them with as many lovely experiences as possible."
Garry Morris said the Immersion Room enables the children to go out into the community and be part of it.
"It's an illustration of preparing the students to be in the community. This is an important thing because these children don't get out in the community very much because of the level of disability and so they lack community skills.
"This room is just one aspect of the school which does fantastic work in preparing the students to move into the community after school," he said.
