INDIANAPOLIS — HopeBridge and Special Olympics hosted a day of fun on Saturday for kids with autism to promote inclusivity.
The Johnson's brought their kids, Pierce and Perry, to the event. Like any family, they enjoy going to events in and around Indianapolis.
"We try to go to movies, and just like any other typical family, we like to get out and go to the zoo and the museum," said Brooke Johnson, the mother.
While it may be easy for some families to just up and leave, Brooke says her son has autism and sometimes it makes it difficult to go out. Now, she says there are more chances for Pierce to be social thanks to more inclusive events.
"There's not many opportunities," Brooke said. "As years have gone on, there's been more opportunities to have activities and events like this together that we can enjoy and feel included and not feel overwhelmed or anxious."
Hopebridge transformed their facility in Carmel on Saturday into inclusive and interactive stations, from a sensory room to basketball to ring toss.
Morgan Hocking, a speech language pathologist at Hopebridge, says they host events like this as a way for their patients to feel included in a neurotypical world.
"It creates a safe spot for our friends to just experience the same opportunities that all of their other same age peers are getting access to on the daily," Hocking said.
The idea is to show off to the parents and families what their kids are doing here. While they are still having fun, they are learning while they do it.
"The kids that are here, they come here and they just brighten up your day from the second they walk in to the second that they leave," Hocking said.
"We're very thankful for these opportunities with Hopebridge to have these activities with our kids with special needs and for our neurotypical kids to also join in and enjoy the fun," Brooke said.