CALLER:
I am looking for a gift for my sister’s family in Nashville, Tennessee. I want to find something that they will enjoy together as a family. They have three children. Donita is six and she is on the spectrum with some sensory issues. Donnie, also 6, is a fireball with more energy than I ever thought a child would have. The twins’ older brother Jim has some developmental delays. I was thinking of sending them tickets, or maybe a membership to something, but now I’m stuck on how I can find just that right place. We are currently stationed overseas, and we are not going to be able to be with them this holiday, but I know my sister will share their experiences with us, with pictures and videos. Do you have any suggestions?
CALL PATHFINDER:
Yes, Pathfinder just about always has suggestions for every question. I think you might want to consider the Nashville Zoo. It is a very popular destination for children, and during this holiday season they have Zoolumination, the country’s largest lantern festival. Plus Promise Park is there. I was just reading about Thisbe and Noah’s Promise Park, a fun and inclusive playground built at the Zoo in memory of two special needs children, Thisbe and Noah. Both of your nephews and your niece will love it because it is a playground for every child, no matter what their abilities are. And with the current discounted gift membership voucher and all those cool animals … it’s a win-win in my opinion.
Here are links to the zoo, and to Promise Park.
Of course, you know your family best. And luckily today there are many more inclusive destinations to select your gift from. Part of that is due to the important work of our sister organization TRIAD (Treatment and Research Institute of Autism Spectrum Disorders), which has developed the All Access Inclusion Network (AAIN) which works to train people in how to be more inclusive. Like Pathfinder, TRIAD is a program of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.
The logos for the organizations that are involved with AAIN can be found here: https://vkc.vumc.org/vkc/triad/cei-AAIN/
The mission of the AAIN (formerly the Inclusion Network of Nashville) is to promote awareness, accessibility, and inclusion of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families by building capacity throughout a community network of arts, education, athletic, and entertainment organizations. Their focus is on true inclusion which means creating meaningful experiences and opportunities to belong through participation in programs and representation within the organization. The program exclusively recommends supports that are research-based rather than supports designed to allow individuals to tolerate environments without allowing for meaningful participation.
Although most of the organizations that AAIN has collaborated with and/or provided training for are in the Nashville area currently, The Creative Discovery Museum is in Chattanooga, the Discovery Center is in Murfreesboro, and there is a We Rock the Spectrum Kids Gym in Nashville/Madison and Franklin.
There are many other Nashville options appealing to children, for you to select your gift from, including: Adventure Science Center, Cheekwood, Nashville Children’s Theater, Nashville Ballet, the National Museum of African American Music, Adventure Science Center, the Y, and We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym to name a few. Each venue has published information on their website, about what accommodations they offer. And there are several other venues that may be more attractive to an older visitor.
I think whenever you visit a special place, it helps to ask about the accommodations and accessibility in advance of your travel. The more recreation providers hear from visitors about the accommodations they need to fully enjoy the experience, the more the industry will respond.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Pathfinder!