Page 30 - Gateways 2018 Spring

Opening Doors continued

The New Addition have their own special place at the zoo and Reeder is located in the Play Zoo and
The Play Zoo serves over 300,000 visitors are welcome, the centrally located resource is available to family members to help
annually, which means that as many center and sensory-friendly family room facilitate the unique and individual needs
as 60,000 guests each year may have let guests of all abilities know they are a of their child or family member with
some level of a physical, cognitive, or valued part of our family. a disability.
sensory disability. This exhibit’s goal is
to foster a love of nature and animals in You are invited to come and check With this additional support in place,
even the youngest children, and to do out the sensory-friendly family room and more children with disabilities can feel
so, it’s important we provide a welcoming resource center at one of our open houses, welcome and supported at Brookfield
environment for everyone. scheduled for March 17, April 12, and Zoo. For these children—many of whom
April 22. spend their days in highly structured
This past winter, the Play Zoo opened indoor environments—this opportunity
the doors to a sensory-friendly family room Specializing in Inclusion to experience nature and the outdoors
that is now an important permanent fixture The “A Zoo for All” initiative isn’t is critically important. Not only do they
there. For children with sensory processing focused only on improving the zoo’s get to have experiences like all of their
disorders, the bustling Play Zoo has the public spaces. The IMLS grant has also peers do, research has linked contact with
potential to turn into an overstimulating provided funding for us to make some nature to restored attention, recovery from
environment. The room includes several behind-the-scenes changes. mental fatigue, and enhanced mental
options for comfortable seating, a focus in children with disabilities.
dimmable light switch, and a door that Last summer, Lauren Reeder joined
closes it off completely from the rest of the the Society as our inclusion specialist.
Play Zoo. It is a safe and convenient place In this role, she works with staff and
to de-escalate before children and families volunteers to help them build the
return to their zoo visit. confidence and skills necessary to interact
with and facilitate programs for individuals
In addition, a centrally located with disabilities. She also evaluates
inclusion resource center now is visible to daily activities to ensure that all of our
all guests the moment they step foot in programming is inclusive for guests.
the Play Zoo. There they can find noise-
reducing headphones, visual schedules that
illustrate what happens in the exhibit, signs
that inform guests about the day’s events,
and other helpful items.

All of these features were already offered
in the Play Zoo, but many guests were
not aware that they were available or were
uncertain about where to get them. The
resource center ensures that these items are
featured front and center so that no one has
to go out of the way to find them.

Society staff believe these infrastructure
changes send an important message to
families. Just as the Play Zoo sends a
message to children in general that they

Kristin Kappel, from Easter Seals Joilet, engages with one of their
clients at Hamill Family Play Zoo. We have worked with Easter Seals in
the development of some of our "A Zoo for All" programs.

26 GATEWAYS | PROVIDING A SENSE OF HOME