So often getting special needs kids the extra help they need for a full and healthy childhood is either very hard to get or prohibitively expensive. Not so at the Y. Parent after parent tells us how their child with special needs was able to take swim lessons, attend day camp or just “belong” somewhere thanks to the extra attention given to them at the Y.
Evelyn Popejoy is a child who was able to enjoy swim lessons thanks to the expertise of staffers at the Birmingham Y. Evelyn, who has autism and type 1 diabetes, began taking adaptive swim lessons there in September of 2008. Her parents had previously enrolled in a swim program geared for special needs kids. When they left that program and found the Y, however, they discovered that the staff there was more skilled at dealing with children with autism. Her instructor, Mel, has been able to teach Evelyn to swim by moving her arms and legs. She’s now able to swim a few feet and does a lot of kicking on her own, without help. The Y’s approach to teaching Evelyn her let her achieve success without triggering any behavioral issues she experienced in previous programs.
Evelyn has come a long way in her swimming, and her parents (and the Y staff) are looking forward to even more success in the future.
Camps also accommodate special needs kids, or kids who are simply struggling with behavioral issues caused by problems at home or school. Y staff spend time with kids who may be struggling, and even the smallest actions can have great impact. A child who once acted out becomes a member of a community where they are accepted, and it has an effect on them and on their families.
It’s not just a slogan here …. everyone belongs at the Y!