Information submitted by the Cobb County School District:
Did you know that the Center for Puppetry Arts has Sensory-Friendly Sundays or the Children’s Museum of Atlanta opens early on designated Sensory-Friendly Saturdays?
Did you know the Georgia Ballet offers a class for special needs students?
Did you know McKenna Farms has a special needs equestrian team or the Studio Movie Grill offers special needs screenings where children are free to move around, talk, or even dance in the aisles during the movie?
Those are just a few of the examples of what Cobb parents will learn about if they attend the fourth annual Community Connections Resource Fair for students with disabilities on Monday, January 27. To accommodate more community organizations and parents, this year the fair will welcome parents inside the Wheeler High School’s gymnasium from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
More than 50 representatives from Atlanta and Cobb county attractions, organizations, and businesses will be on hand to share information about their accessibility and sensory-friendly offerings for families of students with disabilities.
Parents, like Beth Foy, praised what they learned at the annual fair.
“I knew that there were sports organizations out there but didn’t know that a variety of sports were offered throughout the year. [My daughter] participated in a bowling program and had a great time with the buddies provided by the organization which gave her opportunities for interaction with typically developing peers,” Foy explained.
Other parents were just as quick to highlight how the event opened the door to new activities for their children.
“I learned about opportunities for [my son] to participate in, like a summer camp he could attend with his significant level of disability. He had the opportunity to go to sleepover camp and spend time with other people and do traditional camp activities,” shared parent Emily Riggs.
She is already planning for her son Jackson to attend the camp again this summer.
Most of the parents, who have attended in the past, were completely unaware of all the resources in the community available to students with disabilities.
“I signed my son up for a weeklong horse camp, where he was paired up with a teen buddy,” said parent Susan Hand. “[My son Ben] just loved it. He was really proud of what he learned and had the opportunity to share it with others during the show on the last day.”
Hand will be one of the parents at this year’s fair shopping for new opportunities for her son.
Make plans to join Hand and the other parents by signing up to attend the free event today: www.signup.com/go/kBNgGbH.
Browse the list of some of the groups planning to attend:
| Aerie Experiences | Cobb County Therapeutic Recreation | McKenna Farms |
| Alliance Theatre | Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame | NCG Cinemas |
| Alternative Baseball | Elm Street Cultural Arts Village | Parent-to-Parent |
| Aqua-Tots | Engineering For Kids of Metro Atlanta | Pinnacle Climbing Team |
| ARC of Georgia (Wings 4 All) | Erin’s Hope for Friends/E’s Club | ReClif |
| Art Station – Big Shanty | Fernbank Museum | Safe Kids Cobb County |
| Atlanta Braves Exceptional Fans | Focus + Fragile Kids | Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse |
| Autism Improvised | Georgia Aquarium | SHINE Sports @Johnson Ferry |
| Beyond Limits | Georgia Ballet | Six Flags Over Georgia |
| Bounce U | Georgia Symphony Orchestra | Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History |
| BSD Tae Kwon Do | Girl Scouts | State Farm Arena |
| Camp Dream | GOALSoccer | Special Olympics |
| Camp Twin Lakes | Hand, Hoof & Heart | Special Pops Tennis |
| Center for Puppetry Arts | House of Artists Foundation | Studio Movie Grill |
| Children’s Museum of Atlanta | Inneractions Therapy Services | Tellus Science Museum |
| CK Danceworks | Kennesaw Parks & Recreation | Therabeat Inc. |
| Cobb Aquatics | Children & Family Programs at KSU | Zoo Atlanta |
| Cobb County Library | Lekotek of Georgia | |
| Cobb Energy Centre | Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta |
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