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My Own Collection Of Summer Events, Extracurricular Activities and Camps in the NYC Area for Children With (any) Special Needs 2012
If you’re looking for a little light reading this weekend, CLICK HERE to open the main document that was handed out at this morning’s meeting. Though growing bigger every year, this labor of love still offers a manageable bite of some of the best programs out there this summer. It’s a pretty awesome resource, even if I do say so myself 🙂
Thanks to all who made it out this morning! It was really lovely to see and meet so many new faces, and I hope to see you again at one of the social group meetups this summer (if you missed the meeting, keep an eye out for more info on the free social group that meets over the summer, entering its fourth year and continuing to grow).
Achilles Kids Upcoming Events April – June 2012
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Free Magic Workshop This Saturday At The Quad
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Ages 9+HARRY POTTER, EAT YOUR HEART OUT!
More Free Accessible Sports Brought To You By The NYC Parks Dept – There Is Still Time To Join This Summer!
I’m taking James to his first day of adaptive swim lessons tomorrow (see The Murky Waters) – we’ve decided to stay in the familiar waters of Highbridge Pool, uptown. I had planned on taking him to both the Tuesday and Thursday lessons until I started reading about some of the other special needs sports programs offered by the NYC Parks department.
Many thanks to Victor Calise, the NYC Parks Accessibility Coordinator, who has generously and patiently provided me with the information below (while also fielding my numerous emails regarding adaptive swim lessons).
Adaptive Tennis
Prospect Park has an adaptive tennis program for all disabilities and runs from October-May, you can call them at 718.436.2500.
The USTA has adaptive tennis for people with physical disabilities that runs about the same time.
Adaptive Track & Field
There is an adaptive track & field program for kids ages 5-16 with physical disabilities, offered in two locations. In Manhattan practice takes place at Thomas Jefferson Park on Tuesday and Thursdays, and in the Bronx at Pelham Bay Park on Monday and Wednesdays. Both parks start the week of July 11th – just show up and register on site. Ages 5-7 meet 9:30-10:30 and ages 8-16 meet from 10:30-noon. All equipment is provided. And, it’s free! Please click http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/pdfs/cityparks_Trackbrochure.pdf for more information.
So now I need to decide whether to take James to swimming two days a week or use one of those days to try the Track & Field program this summer. I want to push swimming since he has finally started putting his head underwater but would also like for him to try something new.
In any case, I’ll be all set if this is my biggest problem this summer.
A Look At What I’ll Mean-To-But-Probably-Will-Not-Have-Enough-Time-To Post In The Week Ahead: 6-20-11
I have so many posts half done or on The To Do List, not to mention the inbox full of great ideas from other people and the survey results that I have been sifting through. Sometimes a to do list is therapeutic but sometimes it’s just kinda mean.
Let’s just cut to the chase before I fall even further behind. Upcoming this week (fingers crossed):
Curious George at CMOM – A look at the exhibit from three points of view – the toddler, the special needs child and the parent who brought them both.
My Children the ABA Therapists – We are the first ones to proclaim the wonders of ABA therapy. So why is it that I cringe every time I walk by a balloon vendor?
Family Beach Vacation with your special needs child ( Part 1 of the How To series)- One week and counting! Every time my husband has worked late and I’ve had a long, hard day with the kids I make myself feel better by preparing for our amazing beach vacation-to-be. Needless to say we are Prepared. Be amazed (or appalled) at my supplies, packing lists and itineraries that anticipate even the most special of special needs, while still leaving room for spontaneity (it’s scheduled in).
How to ignore your special needs child (Uncomfortable Subjects Part 3) – If you think I have a lot to say, then you haven’t walked James home from school. Don’t judge until you’ve been there or read this.
Sneak Peek at Fall speakers 2011-2012 season – I know it seems like a long way off, but you’ll want to make time for next year’s meetings. We already have 6 amazing speakers/programs lined up! And, some of your favorite speakers from this past year are joining forces (I am letting this double “oo” opportunity pass me by out of respect for them) this year for some especially awesome opportunities. I hope I can tell you more about this soon!
Also keep an eye out for info on parenting match-ups (like a dating service for special needs parents), a sibling support group, a free giveaway (in the works) and my review of the Harry Potter exhibit in Times Square. And, I believe that The Foorce will reach 20,000 views this week (since it’s inception in March), unless everyone gets frustrated with my “to post” lists that never get crossed off. Thanks for making me feel important – it’s a good thing I come from such a big family!
It’s the last week of school. Then James will be home and things will really be busy (not like they are now) so I am extra motivated to knock things off of this list. And remember, if you subscribe you will be notified about all of the above posts automatically, and any tangents I go on in the meantime.
Happy Summer’s Eve!
Central Park Challenge Recap and Photos
So here is one of my first posts with photos (took long enough, right?), all of them borrowed from the YAI website so far. I want to make sure to share as much of the experience with you as possible – it was that good!
To the left are James and his friend Will – they were standing along the finish line to cheer on our team members in the 5K run. And James is shamelessly posing with our team sign. We had to write our sign by hand for the second year in a row because they “corrected” our premade one to say “The Force,” with only 1 “o.” Well I never….
As usual it was an amazingly fun time (despite some trouble getting coffee in the wee hours). Our runners went first and all did well. My little brother beat his big brother’s record from last year, and one of our runners placed first in her division – go Kim!
As you can see from the pictures, we really did take anyone onto our team (our team’s dog was not the only one in a walk shirt, either) .
We knew better what to expect this year, including how slowly the walk would move with such a huge crowd participating, so I was less impatient this time around (and less pregnant). And, the weather was really perfect for the occasion – mid-70s and sunnyish – so we weren’t moving slowly and cooking like last year.
After the walk was the Jr. American Races. My 2- year old showed up late (the walk really does move slowly) so she raced in the 4 yr old division but since everyone got a medal she was thrilled anyway.
We had a lovely BBQ picnic at a nearby playground afterward (lovely except for the giant raccoon casually sauntering up to people) and said our goodbyes. All of that fun and it was only 1 o’clock!
Yep, you should have been there. Maybe next year! The Foorce raised $1100 this year, which was only a drop in the bucket of the $1.6 million raised overall! We almost doubled our team size from last year, a trend I would very much like to see continued. For more details about the Central Park Challenge on June 4th and a lot more pictures from the big day, click here.
We’ll definitely be back for third helpings next June. There is nothing in the world that makes me feel less alone and more inspired than watching thousands of runners, walkers, men, women and children (and dogs) get together and pay tribute to a common cause, especially one so close to my heart. It really helps me keep things in perspective when I see how many people are going through the same thing we are in one way or another. Yet we were all able to be there and we were all there to celebrate – amazing! Regardless of our abilities, we had a lot in common and a lot to be proud of on Saturday.
Go Team Foorce! (still looking for a team photo to insert here, hint hint)
Weekend update and a look at what’s coming
The weekend was so packed that I am too exhausted for a clever title, let alone a post that will do justice to any of the weekend events. But here is a quick sneak peak at the posts that are in the works for the week once I take a night to catch up on my much-needed sleep (it does happen once in a while):
What The Other Kids Are Saying and Thinking About Your Special Needs Child – Inside Scoop – a recap of my meeting at James’s school, where I had the chance to speak with his 4th grade class and answer their questions for an hour.
Central Park Challenge Recap – will tell you all about our awesome team and the great time we had, plus the total amount of $ we raised and some fun pictures from the big day!
Counting My Blessings at St. Patrick’s – the confirmation service for special needs people today was a wonderful event, made even more so by observing the other families around me.
First Meetings for The Foorce Summer Social Group – the more fun summer version of our school year meetings are finally being scheduled!
My Daughter is a Foorce to Be Reckoned With – a post regarding my toddler’s changing role in James’s day-to-day life.
There will also be announcements regarding special needs swim lessons (free!), Manhattan reimbursement funds and meetings regarding the new IEP format in each borough. Plus, James is going back to school tomorrow, blissfully unaware that anything unusual happened last week (see Dirty Laundry) – I am super nervous for him but cautiously optimistic. The current plan is to publish at least one post each day this week. That is, of course, if nothing else exciting happens (fingers crossed!).
There’s still time to join The Foorce on Central Park Challenge Eve!!
I know you are probably wondering how the meeting went today (see Dirty Laundry post) – I plan to tell all when things aren’t so chaotic but right now I want to make sure I get one last plug in for the Central Park Challenge, which is finally upon us!
To recap: This is one of my favorite things. Last year was the first year we tried something like this, and being 6 months pregnant with a toddler and a disabled child in tow I was a little nervous. I am so glad we did it – we had an awesome team and the whole day was really fun. Some of us did the run (NOT me) and another group of us did the walk, which started shortly afterward. There was also a child area with races, games, and face painting, and lots of free giveaways. Seeing the huge crowds of people gather for the same cause was truly touching and motivating.
This year we have an even bigger team – it looks like 20+ of us so far. The event is open to all ages – my 8 month old, 2 yr old and 10 yr old will all be joining us in the walk and my 2 yr old is also going to try the junior races later in the morning. I hope you will consider walking or running with us – it’s exercise while supporting a truly worthy cause, a great way to start off any Saturday. Here is our team page – http://support.yai.org/site/TR/Events/CPC2011?team_id=14203&pg=team&fr_id=1090 – scroll down until you see the list of team members and click Join Team to join us. The more the merrier!
Upon joining I will email you with details on where to meet up with our team. You can also come to the park between 9:00 and 11:00 AM to find the crowds and cheer us on – we start by the Bethesda Fountain (enter at 72nd). I would LOVE to see a couple of “Go Foorce” signs out there! Or, if you can’t be there but would like to support our efforts, there is a Support The Foorce button too. Any donation, even $1, makes a difference toward our goal!
I plan to win the walk for my division – Moms Wearing Two Children.
The Foorce 
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