Category: Activities for Disabled

Spring is a sensational time to adopt a new outdoor activity. Why not consider hippotherapy, equine-assisted therapy or therapeutic/adaptive horseback riding? Wondering how these activities differ? Read on.

Hippotherapy

Derived from the Greek word “hippos,” which means horse, hippotherapy provides a healing and enjoyable therapeutic treatment for physical and neurological disabilities such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and autism spectrum disorders.  The therapy, first recognized in the 1960s, helps to improve balance, coordination, strength, and mobility.

Hippotherapy’s therapeutic properties are associated with horses’ rhythmic and repetitive gait which is similar to the gait of human beings. During therapy, the horse’s movements offer continuous sensory input, promote neuromuscular development and help the client to improve their posture, balance and motor skills. The therapist may use positions and exercises to build particular skills. For hippotherapy to be safe and effective it must be provided by a specially trained physical, occupational or speech-language therapist as part of an integrative treatment plan.

Equine-assisted therapy

In equine-assisted therapy, individuals focus on caring for horses, rather than riding them. Clients who engage in this type of therapy are typically being treated for mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, addiction or post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to Psychology Today, “during an equine-assisted therapy session, the client will typically engage in basic caretaking activities with the horse with the help and direction of an equine specialist; common examples include grooming the animal, feeding it, and leading it around an enclosure. … Afterward, the mental health professional and the client will usually discuss what occurred, what was learned, and what behaviors or emotions they might target in their next session with the horse.”

Therapeutic/adaptive horseback riding

Unlike hippotherapy and equine-assisted therapy, therapeutic horseback riding is more educational and recreational in its focus. That said, individuals who engage in this type of horseback riding derive many physical and emotional benefits. Physical benefits include improved flexibility, balance, strength and coordination. According to Kathleen Salas, a physical therapist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Adaptive Sports Centers in Boston, “The left-right coordination you develop on horseback is a perfect translation for someone working on their walking skills. Perched atop a horse, riders must engage muscles in their abdomen, back, and pelvis to stabilize their trunk and maintain posture.”

Psychological benefits of therapeutic horseback riding include the experience of “building a relationship with a horse,” says Salas. For example, Salas recalls the experiences of two boys with ASD who came to her for riding lessons. The boys had difficulty relating to others and limited language skills. “Horses are easy to bond with in a non-threatening way, and those boys developed an emotional connection so quickly,” she says. “The boys also hadn’t put two-word sentences together until suddenly they were motivated to tell the horses ‘More, faster!’”

If you find yourself in New York City any time before March 9, 2025, you’ll want to visit the Guggenheim Museum to check out “Sixth Stanza,” an installation that includes the revolutionary video series “Ekphrasis in Air.”

“Ekphrasis in Air” showcases poetry by talented deaf poets such as Douglas Ridloff and Abby Haroun, who present their poems using American and British sign languages. Each poem in the series is a response either to art from the museum’s permanent collection or to the museum’s iconic Frank Lloyd Wright building, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The video series is one of several initiatives introduced by the Guggenheim’s 2024 Poet in Residence Meg Day.

Day, a deaf poet, essayist and English professor at North Carolina State University, is the museum’s third poet-in-residence. According to Guggenheim.org, Day’s residency, called “All Ears”, has three goals: “to highlight Deaf poets as visual artists by welcoming them into the museum space in new ways; encourage the hearing-majority public to engage with American Sign Language and Deaf sonics through unexpected encounters; and to encourage people to reorient their understanding of language and fluency as visible, just as much as it is aural.”

The poems “honor the long history of Deaf literature by engaging traditional and contemporary uses of rhyming handshapes, facial grammar, the manual alphabet, and visual vernacular (a physical art form that combines ASL, mime, and theatrical techniques to create a visual narrative). When signing poets engage in ekphrasis (verbal description of a visual work of art), the visual nature of sign language and of art intermingle to invoke an experience of shared embodiment.”

Though ASL poetry has existed for at least 100 years, and has grown in popularity in recent years, it is still relatively unknown outside the ASL community. Day’s efforts at the Guggenheim have brought the artform to new audiences.

In December, the museum presented Sound Off: An Evening of Poetry. The celebration of poetry included the work of Deaf and hard-of-hearing poets from across the United States who presented their poems in English and ASL. Day told North Carolina State’s Humanities and Social Sciences News that the program was “a dream and an overdue joy.

“To have Deaf and hard-of-hearing poets writing poems in English share the stage with Deaf and hard-of-hearing poets making poems in sign language is a rare thing,” Day added. “To invite audiences of all kinds to consider their own access needs regarding these poems — while celebrating these world-renowned poets — felt exciting.”

It’s back! Halloween is upon us once again.

That means costumes, candy and plenty of excitement for kids. But parents of disabled children know that Halloween can present certain challenges and obstacles. Trick-or-treating can be hampered by neighborhoods or homes that aren’t wheelchair accessible. Costumes can be uncomfortable if they aren’t sensory-friendly and unwearable if they don’t accommodate medical devices. And dietary restrictions can clash with the high candy intake at the heart of the holiday.  All of these issues can interfere with the joy of the occasion. But they don’t have to. Planning ahead of time can make all the difference. Here are some creative ways to make Halloween a joyful day for children of all abilities.

1. Make costumes comfortable
If your child hasn’t settled on a costume yet, creating or purchasing an adaptive and/or sensory-friendly costume can make trick-or-treating a great deal more fun. Costumes that integrate your child’s wheelchair are a terrific way to go. There’s still time to order from Rolling Buddies, where you can find wheelchair decorations you might not find elsewhere. You can also find wheelchair accessories, adaptive and sensory-friendly costumes at Halloween.com, Target, and Amazon.

2. Try trick-or-treating alternatives
If mobility challenges are an issue in your neighborhood, see if you can find a neighborhood nearby that’s easier to navigate. If not, why not host a neighborhood get-together where kids and parents can socialize and enjoy Halloween-themed, inclusive and sensory-friendly games and activities? This option also gives you the leeway to control your child’s candy intake. Instead of allowing them to indulge in unhealthy treats, prepare some tasty yet nutritious snacks that won’t disrupt your child’s diet. Another alternative? Let your child dress up but stay home and answer the door and greet other kids.

 3. Have a home candy hunt
If mobility is an issue, but candy isn’t, try setting up an at-home candy hunt. Hide treats around or outside your house where your child can find them. Invite siblings, neighbors and friends to join in to make the experience even more special.

 4. Participate in an inclusive community trick-or-treating event
Check your neighborhood newspaper or website to find out if there are accessible community-based Halloween events nearby. Many chambers of commerce and shopping centers offer these events, which can be safer, less overwhelming and more inclusive than typical trick-or-treating experiences.

5. Be flexible
If your child wants and is able to trick-or-trick but changes their mind once you venture out, don’t sweat it. Go home and have a quiet evening. Halloween will be back next year!

Readers of a certain age may remember ABC’s “The Dating Game,” the first-ever reality dating TV show.

Nowadays, dating shows are more popular than ever. There’s “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” “Love is Blind,” “Are You the One?” “The Ultimatum,” “Indian Matchmaker,” and even “Love on the Spectrum U.S,” a show that explores the dating lives of single people on the autism spectrum.

On Sept. 7, the show, which first aired on Netflix in 2022, took home two Primetime Emmy Awards – one for outstanding casting for a reality program and an additional one for outstanding director for a reality program. The awards were presented at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, which preceded the main Emmy Awards program on Sept. 15.

“Love on the Spectrum U.S.” is based on the award-winning Australian show “Love on the Spectrum,” which also aired on Netflix from 2020-2022. The format of both shows is similar. Each follows six or seven developmentally disabled adults as they date each other in an effort to find love and romance. In between dates, participants are supported by families and friends and coached by relationship expert and author Jennifer Cook, who is also neurodiverse. Both shows were co-created, directed and produced by Cian O’Clery, an Australian director who wanted to challenge myths about people with ASD.

“The initial kernel of the idea was about raising awareness that people on the spectrum do want to date and want to have relationships just like everybody else does,” said O’Clery, in an interview with Screen Australia.

According to Disability Scoop, Netflix reiterated O’Clery’s point in its description of the show: “Most people on the spectrum have the same desire for intimacy and companionship as the rest of the population, yet difficulties in social interaction and communication are a key feature of autism, which makes finding a partner an often daunting and difficult experience,” says Netflix. “This uplifting and insightful series celebrates diversity and difference, with participants who are warm, funny and generously open. It sets out to teach us all lessons of love, romance, intimacy and acceptance.”

In the course of making the shows, O’Clery found that it was also “about showing the true diversity of the spectrum. You’ve got people with very low support needs who are highly intelligent, who have great jobs, who are professors, and you’ve got people who need support 24 hours a day… It’s really diverse. Everybody’s different.”

To learn more about “Love on the Spectrum U.S.,” click here.

As winter winds down, summer may still feel far away. But it’s not too early to begin thinking about your child’s summer plans — especially if those plans include a summer camp experience. Enrollment season is well underway.

The benefits of summer camp are many. Camp provides kids with opportunities to build independence and improve social skills, and offers new experiences in the arts, sports and the natural world. Perhaps most importantly, it’s a chance for your child to make friends and have fun! (Camp can also provide some much-needed down time for parents!)

If your child has a disability, you may be nervous about trusting counselors, camp medical staff and others with their safety and well-being. That’s completely understandable. And that’s why selecting the right camp setting is so important.

Here are some tips to make the job easier.

1. Start with some guidelines
Before looking at specific camps, decide between day camp or overnight camp; consider the length of camp sessions; and determine whether your child will be more likely to thrive in an inclusive camp or in a camp specifically geared toward children with disabilities.

2. Do your research
Talk with other parents about their children’s camp experiences and consult with teachers and school administrators who are well acquainted with your child to see if they have recommendations. There are many good online sources that provide information about camps for children with disabilities. One reputable source is the website of the American Camp Association.

3. Interview camp staff
Once you have created a list of some camps that sound good on paper, reach out to each of these to ask questions and get a feel for its leadership. Share information about your child and their needs to make sure that the camp can accommodate them. Some questions to ask include:

• • Can the camp accommodate complex medical needs?
  • What level of training does staff receive?
  • What is the staff:camper ratio?
  • Is the camp/bunk accessible to wheelchairs?
  • Is there a sign language interpreter, closed captioning at camp productions, etc.
  • What are the activities offered and how are they adapted for children with disabilities?
  • Can the camp accommodate my child’s special diet?
  • How long are camp sessions?
  • How can I communicate with my child?
  • How close is the nearest hospital in case of emergency?
  • How is medication distributed?
  • What is the full cost of camp and are camperships offered?

4. Attend an open house
Many camps offer opportunities to visit camp to meet staff and fellow camp families. An onsite visit will provide a sense of the grounds, recreational facilities, and bunks. If an open house isn’t offered, request color brochures, camp program schedules, and DVDs that you can view at home.

5. Get references from other parents
Ask the camp to provide contact information for several parents of campers with disabilities. Talking with parents who share many of the same concerns as you, will go a long way toward helping you to make an informed decision.

Looking for your next good read? If so, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the most highly recommended books on disability published in the past year and the most highly anticipated books on disability in the year ahead.

For Adults
 “Sipping Dom Perignon Through a Straw: Reimagining Success as a Disabled Achiever”
By Eddie Ndopu (Legacy Lit)
Born with spinal muscular atrophy, South African disability activist Eddie Ndopu typed his debut memoir using his one functional finger. Though he was not expected to live past age 5, Ndopu defied the odds, acing college and going on to study public policy at Oxford. “Sipping Dom Perignon Through a Straw” takes readers along on the author’s often challenging, sometimes frustrating but ultimately triumphant journey through graduate school.

“Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability”
By Melissa Blake (Hatchett) Due out March 2024
Blake’s memoir describes her experiences living with Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, a rare condition that causes craniofacial deformities. “Beautiful People” is both an exploration of what it’s like to live in a world that’s not built for people with disabilities and a call to action for allies of the disabled.

“We’ve Got This: Essays by Disabled Parents”
By Eliza Hull, Editor (Scribe UK)
Hull, an Australian writer, journalist, musician and disability advocate is creator of “We’ve Got This,” one of her country’s most popular podcast series. Her new book of essays explores the little-known lives of parents experiencing the joys and hardships of parenting while managing chronic health problems and disabilities. The bottom line: Biases against disabled people are the greatest obstacles they face.

“American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body’s Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life”
By Jennifer Lunden (Harper)
When she was just 21, Lunden began experiencing debilitating physical symptoms that brought life as she knew it to a standstill. Unable to find a cause for her symptoms, doctors told her she was “just depressed.” Five years into her mysterious illness, Lunden discovered the biography of nineteenth century diarist Alice James, whose chronic illness was also dismissed by doctors. Kirkus Reviews said, “Blending theory and memoir, the author personifies her struggle for wellness and its associated costs and consequences. An alarming chronicle of catastrophic chronic illness and a passionate plea for health care reform.”

 For Children
“Henry, Like Always”
By Jenn Bailey with illustrations by Mika Song (Chronicle Books)
This year’s winner of the Schneider Family Book Awards for young children tells the story of Henry, a boy on the autism spectrum who values sameness but must adjust to a change in schedule at his school. This book is the first in a series for young readers.

“The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn”
By Sally J. Pla (Harper Collins)
This year’s Schneider Family Book Award winner for middle grade readers is about a neurodivergent girl who adopts surfing after she and her father must relocate due to a dangerous wildfire.

“Forever is Now”
By Mariama J. Lockington (Macmillan)
The winning selection for this year’s Schneider Family Book Award for teens and young adults, “Forever is Now” chronicles the tale of a young black activist who experiences post traumatic anxiety after she observes a violent episode of police brutality.

There’s good news for football fans with disabilities! No, we’re not going to tell you that your favorite team is in the lead. What we can report is that earlier this month, the NFL—in partnership with G-III Apparel Group—released its first collection of adaptive and assistive clothing. Now, disabled fans who want to support their preferred football franchises can do so in comfortable clothing that’s easy to wear.

As we’ve written in the past, adaptive apparel is designed to make dressing easier and more comfortable for individuals with disabilities. Some examples? Magnets instead of buttons; shoes without laces; apparel without tags, labels and scratchy fabrics; and garments that provide easy access to the stomach for medical devices.

According to The Conversation, “The key to effective adaptive clothing is catering for the vast array of needs different consumers have, while maintaining style and fashionability.”

The NFL’s new offerings include long and short-sleeved T-shirts with magnet snaps on the shoulders, and fleece crewnecks and hoodies with adaptive side zippers and buttons down the back, which make it easy to take on and off. The gear is available for fans of any of the league’s 32 teams. The NFL is the first professional sports league to offer adaptive garments but hopefully not the last.

In a statement provided to USA Today, Joe Ruggiero, SVP of Consumer Products at the NFL, said “our apparel is created with the fan in mind and with the design expertise offered by industry leader, G-III, we produced the League’s first-ever adaptive and assisted apparel that serves our diverse fanbase. The collections will allow fans to cheer on their favorite team with confidence, comfort and independence.”

Carl Banks, President of G-III’s Sports Division made this statement: “G-III is proud to design the first adaptive and assisted apparel fashion collections for NFL fans. These collections make sports apparel more inclusive than ever before and are a natural expansion of the classic sports collection we already produce for the NFL. Our innovative designers were able to create apparel that is super functional and provides new options to empower fans to express themselves, as they confidently support their NFL team of choice.”

NFL apparel comes in sizes small to 2XL and ranges in price from $44.99 for a short sleeve T-shirt to $64.99 for a hoodie. The gear is available at the NFL’s online shop.

Let the games begin!

Photo credit: Eric Espino/NFL

Fall is here and the season offers a variety of spectacular sensory experiences for children and adults alike. Below are some of our favorite autumn activities.

1. Admire fall foliage
Fall is the perfect time to enjoy the great outdoors. Visit a local park with accessible hiking trails; embark on a driving tour; or even take a fall foliage train ride to see the changing leaves in all their glory. The colorful scenery, clean fresh air, flocks of birds flying south and the sounds of the leaves under foot provide a truly fabulous feast for the senses.

2. Carve a pumpkin
Whether you purchase one at a supermarket or visit a neighborhood pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving offers an array of sensory experiences. Designate an adult with excellent fine motor skills to carve the pumpkin. Observers can participate by touching the pumpkin, noticing its physical characteristics and coming up with ideas for what the carving should look like. Once the pumpkin is carved, let observers touch the gooey insides of the pumpkin and smell the pumpkin’s sweet aroma. Cap the experience by cooking and tasting pumpkin seeds, or making and eating some pumpkin pie.

3. Go apple-picking
Visit a local orchard to learn about and sample the variety of apples available. Is the apple sweet or tart? What is the apple’s texture and color? Pick the apples you like best, take them home and make an apple pie or apple sauce. Taste and enjoy!

4. Take a hayride
If accessible, take a hayride. Feel the wind in your face, the texture and smell of hay, and enjoy the slow bumpy ride. Nothing says fall like a hayride!

5. Pick leaves
While a trip to a park is great fun, you can pick leaves just about anywhere. Recognize the colors, shapes and textures of leaves from different trees. Listen to the sound of the leaves when you crumple them in your hands, or walk and ride over them in your wheelchair. Then come home and make a leaf collage.

 6. Make a fall sensory bin
You know those leaves you picked? They can go into a fall sensory box which may also include gourds, mini pumpkins, acorns, dried corn husks, kernels and beans. Add some plastic measuring cups and scoopers, and let the kids touch, scoop and pour. Sensory box users who don’t have use of their hands can try Enabling Devices’ switch-activated pouring cups to get in on the fun.

While you enjoy these sensory activities, start your Halloween planning. It’s time to for kids and older Halloween enthusiasts to decide how they want to dress for the holiday. Think about favorite book, TV and movie characters they may want to portray, and begin brainstorming about costume ideas. Look for Enabling Devices’ upcoming Halloween blogpost for more ideas.

Cooking can be challenging when you live with a disability. But with the right tools and techniques, many people can find their way around the kitchen. Here are some tips you can try.

1. Use automatic and adaptive devices
Automatic and adaptive devices can make many cooking activities easier. Electric can openers, adaptive utensils, vegetable choppers, knives designed for safety, switch-activated battery operated scissors and switch-activated adapted pouring cups are just some of the products that can make cooking possible for individuals with impaired fine motor skills or inability to use their hands.

2. Collect simple recipes with step-by-step photographs
Individuals with intellectual disabilities will benefit from short recipes that don’t require too much reading and photos that will show them what their recipes should look like. Visit this website for more information.

3. Cut prep time
Take advantage of pre-cut and pre-washed veggies, fruit and semi-prepared meat as well as high quality, healthy frozen meals. Trader Joe’s sells yummy pre-seasoned dishes such as ready to heat pesto chicken thighs, lasagna, soups and all sorts of frozen pizzas at reasonable price points.

4. Use a rolling or bar cart to transport food and ingredients
In a recent Washington Post article, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a wheelchair user, says she “uses a child’s lap desk and balances food and plates on a tray that fits on it. The senator also advises loading up a bar cart. ‘I can just roll myself while pushing the bar cart with everything in it from one room to another without risking spilling hot food or drinks in my lap,’” she said.

5. Use voice-assisted technology
If you’re visually impaired or have motor challenges, avoid going back and forth to your recipe or cookbook by having voice-assisted technology read your recipe aloud.

6. Design your kitchen to meet your needs
If it’s not cost prohibitive, redesign your kitchen with your needs in mind. For instance, if you use a wheelchair, lower your counters to wheelchair level. If that’s not an option, get a rolling prep table that’s wheelchair height. Likewise, electronic touch or hands-free faucets make food preparation easier. An induction stovetop is a great idea for vision impaired cooks or those with impaired fine motor control since its surface or cooktop doesn’t get hot. Imagine – you can touch it and not get burned!

7. Consult with an occupational therapist
Not sure where to begin? Work with an occupational therapist who can teach you to simplify cooking routines and help you to set up your kitchen so it’s more user-friendly.

8. Check out Accessible Chef
Created by Anna Moyer, who experimented with all kinds of cooking hacks to help her brother who lives with Down syndrome, this website is full of helpful ideas, recipes, and product suggestions that make cooking accessible for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Bon appetit!

Frustrated by the paucity of disabled representation on mainstream television?

The new streaming service Disability Media Network (DiMe) offers free content including movies, documentaries, sports coverage and short series that deal with disability-related themes and present the work of disabled filmmakers and actors.

According to its website, DiME’s content is “specially curated to ensure that disabled viewers see more authentic versions of themselves when they turn on the TV. …”

DiMe founder Jennifer Price told New Mobility that “the platform has two purposes—one from a viewer standpoint to allow people to see people who look like them, [and one] from a filmmaker standpoint to give another distribution outlet to their content.”

Price, a non-disabled disability rights attorney, launched DiMe in June 2021 on Roku TV. Since then, the service has grown and DiMe content can now be viewed on the DiMe website, Apple TV and Fire TV as well. Subscriptions are free. New content is available each month.

Sound interesting? Here’s a sampling of what’s available now.

1. “For Better, For Worse,” a short Australian film, tells the story of John and Lizzie, a couple with Down syndrome trying to convince their friend Reuben to be best man at their wedding. Why is he so resistant? Find out in this entertaining romantic comedy.

2. “Groundhog Night,” another Australian short, is written by and stars wheelchair user Emily Dash. In a piece for The Equity Magazine, she told writer Kate Hood that she “wanted to make a film that looked at the impact disability had on family dynamics, and showed that living with disability could be funny, as well as poignant.”

3. Set in 2040, the 2020 short film “Here Comes Frieda” is a science fiction thriller about a blind woman trying to redeem a lottery ticket that will allow her to leave climate-change ravaged Earth.

4. “Deafening Darkness” a short Canadian horror film made in 2017 tells the story of a deaf woman searching for her missing friend. In the process of her search, she meets a stranger with a disturbing history.  This film includes a fully deaf cast and dialogue in sign language.

5. “To Pop a Wheelie,” a 2015 documentary written and directed by Teryl Warren follows three “adrenaline junkies” forced to feed their thrill-seeking addictions in new ways after they sustain life altering spinal cord injuries.

6. “Dancing Outside the Box” is a short documentary directed by David Block, a legally blind filmmaker. The film focuses on wheelchair user Ray Leight, who created a ballroom dancing curriculum that enables wheelchair users to dance with standing partners.

7. The documentary Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita chronicles the work of Dr. Jack Kessler, a stem cell biologist who decided to focus on using embryonic stem cells to find a cure for spinal cord disorders after his daughter Allison has a disabling ski accident.

A couple of weeks ago, we told you about plans for the expansion of Shepherds College, a faith-based institution in Wisconsin that offers post-secondary education for students with intellectual disabilities. Shepherds is unusual because it provides an authentic college experience including campus life, recreational and extracurricular activities that are similar to those at mainstream colleges and universities.

But Shepherds isn’t the only place where ID students can continue their educational journeys post-high school. According to Disability Scoop, “the number of programs at colleges and universities aimed at this population has ballooned to more than 300 in recent years, but they vary significantly in structure, length, how integrated they are in the campus and much more. As a result, families have had little way to assess different offerings despite program costs that can rival traditional college tuition.”

That’s where a new accrediting agency called the Inclusive Higher Education Accreditation Council comes in. The nonprofit agency will use a set of standards developed by the Think College National Coordinating Center Accreditation Workgroup to evaluate postsecondary programs in areas such as mission, curriculum, faculty, student achievement and financial status. Schools and programs are not required to become accredited and some may choose not to since the accreditation process can be costly in time and money.

Still, Martha Mock, executive director of the council and chair of the Think College National Coordinating Center Accreditation Workgroup, told Inside Higher Ed that post-secondary programs that become accredited will have certain advantages. Says Mock, “[Accreditation is] a way for programs to demonstrate and share how they are providing a high-quality program to students.”

It will take time before all students benefit from the accreditation standards. Just five schools are expected to complete the process from now through the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. Western Carolina University’s University Participant Program was the first program to begin the process. A site visit to the program took place last month.

Meanwhile, ID students and their families are clamoring for a spot at one of the 300-plus programs already in operation. As Inside Higher Ed reported, statistics from one study at University of Massachusetts Boston showed that “59 percent of students who completed such a program had a paid job a year later, compared to a 19 percent employment rate for adults with intellectual disabilities in the general population.”

An additional benefit? Post-secondary programs also help students to learn skills of independent living that allow them to be more self-reliant.

Walt Disney Parks have always been disability-friendly destinations and the company continues to make its rides, attractions, dining establishments and grounds more accessible and inclusive for guests of all abilities.

As part of the Disney 100th anniversary celebration, Disneyland in Anaheim, California, recently unveiled its newly refurbished Mickey’s Toontown.

Toontown, which originally opened in 1993, is a cartoon-themed area that caters to young children and families. In Toontown, young guests can meet Disney cartoon characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto.

With more greenspaces, improved wheelchair access and thoughtfully conceived auditory, visual and tactile stimuli for visitors with sensory processing disorders and autism spectrum disorders, the area is now more welcoming than ever before.

To make Toontown fully accessible to wheelchair users, Disney has done away with curb cuts, added ramps and kept pathways open. A water play attraction includes interactive water tables set up at wheelchair height. Additionally, reports Disability Scoop, “a roller slide down an embankment hill will have a dedicated landing area where kids will have time to get back in their wheelchairs without pressure to get out of the way for the next slider.”

Likewise, the Dreaming Tree, which represents Walt Disney’s boyhood spot for daydreaming, includes a maze for climbing that’s wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs.

Visitors on the autism spectrum will benefit from designated areas where they can release pent-up energy, find shade, get away from crowds and noise, picnic and relax after an over-stimulating day at the park. Additionally, Toontown attractions such as Goofy’s How to Play Yard and The Popcorn Park feature calming soundtracks. Donald Duck’s boat is designed with hands-on sensory experiences. Toontown’s structures are painted in spa-like hues that won’t overwhelm guests who are sensitive to bright colors.

“We got a lot of guests who utilize our parks in different ways—who see, hear and feel our experiences in different ways and want every child to know that when they came to this land… that they were seen and that this place was welcoming to them,” said Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz, Portfolio Executive Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, at a press preview last month.

Toontown also has family restrooms and the EngineEar Souvenirs gift shop, which sells Minnie Mouse ears headbands specially designed for visitors who use cochlear implants.

Disney hopes that the area will benefit not only people with disabilities, but all families who need a place to rest and rejuvenate after a hectic day at Disneyland.