News Blog Special Olympics and Local Sensory Skate Events Encourage Roller Skating for All
Special Olympics and Local Sensory Skate Events Encourage Roller Skating for All
By Lynette Anacker July 28, 2015
The 2015 Summer Special Olympics are underway with Toys R Us employees donating their time and energy volunteering during this exciting 10-day event. Earlier in 2015, Toys R Us began the #MyFirstSportsMoment initiative with the purpose of introducing children of all ages and abilities to a variety of sports and have been able to provide the Special Olympics with more than $4 million dollars in support in 2015 alone.
"At Toys"R"Us, we fully recognize the transformative power of sports and are honored to help bring that to children on such a grand stage," said Kathleen Waugh, Chairman of the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund. "Watching the Young Athletes compete is a joy and we are proud to have dedicated members of the Toys"R"Us family here at the World Games celebrating the littlest athletes as they experience their very first sports moments."
Toys"R"Us volunteers are supporting "MyFirst" experiences, including: Aquatics, Softball, Bocce, Golf, Football, Roller Skating, Bowling, Tennis, Basketball and Gymnastics. Fans looking to cheer on the Young Athletes from home can join in on the conversation using #MyFirstSportsMoment on
Facebook,
Twitter and
Instagram.
Sports and events around the country continue to expand to include all abilities. Autism Village is a non-profit organization which offers free listings to assist families in finding local sensory-friendly events, sports and programs. In addition, they will be launching a location-based app on iPhone and Android
where folks can find places near them that are open to clients with autism.
Another of their future plans is to have a job board that connects adults
with autism with local businesses to create sustainable work environment for
all.
Rink owners frequently offer an hour of
"sensory friendly" skating. This includes lower volume music, more
static and less aggressive lighting (no strobe lights, fixed/non-flashing),
having some volunteers on hand to help kids learning, etc. Parents are encouraged to visit
http://autismvillage.com/ to find events nearest them!
If you are
interested in holding a "Sensory-Friendly Skate" for families with
autism, please visit http://autismvillage.com/places to submit your information.Photo credit: Getty Images for Toys "R" Us
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