Wheeler to hold resource fair for students with disabilities

Information submitted by the Cobb County School District:Cobb County School District, Cobb schools dual enrollment summit

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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