Best Tips For Special Needs Families In Los Angeles
When you have a child that has special needs, there can be a host of challenges that families may face. Whether they are singular and or a combination of physical, mental and emotional in nature, there are specific resources which exist that you can help to find information about organizations and groups that deal with particular challenges. Some of them are agencies that are tied into city, county or state government. Others are specific to houses of worship.
Shane's Inspiration
15213 Burbank Boulevard
Sherman Oaks, CA 91411
(818) 988-5676
www.shanesinspiration.org
Shane's Inspiration is an organization that has helped to make those playgrounds accessible to all sorts of children. One of visitors' favorites is called Aidan's Place, which is located on the Westside at 1350 South Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Aidan's Place is great because it is set up so that children with physical challenges, like being wheelchair-bound, can play in the sand. And it has misters so that the kids don't get overheated during the really hot days. Playgrounds by Shane's Inspiration are created and designed to be accessible and inclusive playgrounds for all children of disabilities, so that they can play along with other abled children. These free, outdoor inclusive play environments are age-appropriate and include safe, state-of-the-art, sensory-rich structures that encourage healing in children with developmental disabilities such as Autism, Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy.
Los Angeles Unified School District Special Education
333 South Beaudry Avenue
17th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 241-6701
achieve.lausd.net
The Los Angeles Unified School District's Department of Special Education offers a large number of service and support opportunities for special needs families that live in the district. Extremely useful, the broad range of programs encompass autism, deaf/hard of hearing, visual impairment, inclusion, adaptive physical education and more. Services are available for infants and pre-schoolers as well as those in primary and or secondary education. Programs vary from instruction, which is the focal point of special education, to intervention, where students with disabilities are helped to mitigatge obstacles.
Autism Society Los Angeles Chapter
8939 South Sepulveda Boulevard
Suite 110-788
Los Angeles CA 90045
(562) 804-5556
www.autismla.us
The Los Angeles Chapter of the Autism Society serves as a resource for special needs families in need. Here to help parents and family members better understand what autism is and to provide tools and support for living with it, the program helps improve hte lives of all affected by autism in LA and empowers individuals with the disease, their families and those around them through advocacy, education, community outreach and support.
Disneyland
1313 South Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA
(714) 781-4000
www.disneyland.com
What child wouldn't love Disneyland? The Magic Kingdom is friendly and equipped so that special needs families can enjoy a day of fun and excitement with Mickey, Minnie and all the other fun rides and attractions here. There is also assistance available for those who have physical, visual and or auditory challenges.
The Friendship Circle of Los Angeles
9581 West Pico Boulevard
#102
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 277-3252
www.fcla.org
The Friendship Circle of Los Angeles offers a mix of programs and activities for Jewish Children with special needs. Offering a full range of social, recreational, educaitonal and Judaic experiences, the program also offers special camps, mentors for children and martial arts programs. The goal here os to provide parents with respite and support and to enrich, inspire and motivate young adults with special needs.
