Family Fun Day: An Inclusive Event by The Specialized Autism Support and Information Group (SASI)
The Specialized Autism Support and Information Group (SASI) recently organized a wonderful Family Fun Day Event that I was grateful to attend.
Prior to the event, I met one of the founding members of the group — a mother from Mount Sinai, Long Island, who has a child with autism. Together with another mother in the same position, she experienced an extreme dearth of resources and supports for families with autistic children — so they decided to do something about it.
What they envisioned as a small support group has grown rapidly, now serving over 1500 families. In addition to support groups, they also provide emotional and financial resources for families in need. They have connections with organizations that provide advocacy for children with all different types of disabilities. As a result, they are able to guide families through the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) process to further obtain necessary services. Lastly, there is also a bilingual wing of SASI available to Spanish speakers.
On August 25th, 2018, SASI organized Family Fun Day — a judgment-free carnival experience for families held at Camp Paquatuck on Long Island. Autism, as a fundamentally social disorder, can impact a child’s and his or her family's ability to connect and feel comfortable in large groups and in unfamiliar situations. Family Fun Day was an opportunity for the families to experience childhood socialization and engagement without the worry that their child’s behavior was vastly different from other, neurotypical children.
SASI invited professionals in the mental health and educational disabilities world to the event to provide information and resources to the parents. I was truly grateful to meet so many families and children — the experience was enriching and reignited my passion to expand access to services for this population.
SASI provides tremendous supports and resources for families of children with autism. Read more about their organization here.
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Jonathan Gottlieb
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