Offers a few weeks of camp throughout the summer. They have made several accommodations to assist special needs children who are attending the camp. The staff is very patient and engaging. The camps provide a fairly calm environment with lots of creativity.
Special Olympics Vermont offers year round sports training and competition opportunities in 13 Olympic-type sports for individuals ages 8+. In 2016, the sports seasons were reorganized into four distinct seasons culminating in four statewide competitions: Winter Games, Summer Games, Fall Games, and Holiday Games.
This is a wonderful opportunity for individuals to participate in sports, make friends, and have fun!
The Special Olympics Young Athletes program is an innovative sports play program for children with and without disabilities ages 2 through 7, designed to provide opportunities for young children to be active, have fun, and learn foundational sports skills. The program supports physical, cognitive and social development — skills important on and off the sports field. It also offers families connections to local Special Olympics Programs. There is no cost for your family for participating. The program offers 1 hour classes that meet for 6-8 weeks throughout the year.
Story Land has teamed up with Autism Speaks to offer a “Sensory Friendly” weekend in September. Many of the staff members at Story Land are getting trained on how to recognize, understand, and act compassionately when assisting families dealing with Autism in the Park. Check out Story Land & Autism Speaks
We recently went to Stowe and had a wonderful experience. From the lodging, activities, skiing, to the incredible staff; this is definitely a place that accommodates children with special needs.
The skiing at Stowe goes above and beyond to accommodate individuals with special needs. Stowe Adaptive is an incredible program that offers lessons and equipment to make sure that every individual can get out on the mountain. And Stowe also offers a “Buddy Pass”! Here is some great information that Donna Barton (Operation Manager) at Stowe offered:
The idea of the Buddy Pass is that if you are unable to meet the minimum Essential Eligibility Criteria, you qualify for our adaptive lesson program or the Buddy program. Check out the EEC requirements on their website.
In addition, here at Stowe…if you do not meet the minimum requirements of the EECs and you apply for a scholarship through Friends of Stowe Adaptive Sports, you may be granted a scholarship to use toward lessons or access. For more information click here
Annie Cooper has been teaching children to swim for years. Her enthusiasm, patience, and encouragement helps children enjoy the water. Swim lessons in Shelburne are held in a therapeutic (very warm) pool which can be ideal for children with disabilities. Swim lessons offered in Shelburne and Essex.
The Green Mountain Lions Camp offers a unique camp experience for Deaf & Hard of Hearing teens and youth. Children with Deaf parents and/or siblings are also welcome! This camp has brought together Deaf and Hard of Hearing kids and teens from all over New England and beyond for over 30 years! The beautiful new location is in Cabot, VT. The new campus has hiking trails, fields to play on, an barn for indoor activities, craft cabin and waterfront swimming and boating! Memories are made and forever friendships are formed all in an environment of total communication access. The primary language used at camp is American Sign Language (ASL) and we guide and encourage new signers to practice and use ASL to foster an environment of access and inclusion.
Inside The Wild Center explore 54,000-square-feet of exhibit halls, meet one of our many animals at an animal encounter, join us for a live show, or watch one of many amazing films. The Wild Center was made for visiting with children. Hands-on exhibits let you hang out in a spiders web, make clouds, blow snow, and get up close with live animals.
After visiting the center make sure to take the Wild Walk which takes visitors up a trail of bridges to the treetops of the Adirondack forest. It’s designed to transform the way we see into the natural world by offering up the perspective of the rest of nature.
Wild Walk is accessible to people of all generations and abilities. There are side paths and options to take, suspension bridges, and stairs down, but the entire main structure, from the trail leading to Feeder Alley all the way to the viewing pod on the final tower platform was built specifically so that it would afford everyone the chance to experience the Walk.
US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer is a 4 week program for kids who have all types of disabilites. During this 1 1/2 hour weekly program, each child is usually paired with a local Vermont high school soccer player. It is a great program that is very well run. It usually begins in the beginning of September.
Central Vermont TOPSoccer will take place on the Woodstock High School soccer field and is supported by Vermont Soccer Association, Woodstock High School and surrounding communities. This 4 week program begins Sunday 9/10/17.
CVMC has a great facility that offers physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology for children. There facility is spacious and has numerous kid friendly equipment so children can enhance their skills in all areas. If you live in central Vermont area this is definitely the place to go!
Excellent physical therapist: Larissa Gillespie PT, DBT
Wildflowers is a multi-sensory play space for children. This amazing place offers 6 week classes and open studio for children to explore the four areas of learning: tinkering, sensory play, paint exploration, and dream weaving. The studio is open to children of all ages and allows children to use their creativity in a calm and inviting environment.