Kids with disabilities meet sensitive Santas
December 18th, 2008
By columnist Jacquielynn Floyd in the Dallas Morning News:
Several branches of Our Children’s House at Baylor, a Dallas area hospital, are making it possible for kids with disabilities to visit with Santa in a relaxed, stress-free environment. The Santas are greeting kids in quiet, low-key settings with soft music. An appointment list allows the kids to avoid the lines and crowds that are common in shopping malls.
“If it’s a child that doesn’t want to be touched, they can just stand in front of him,” said a therapist. “The mall Santas know about kids, but they don’t know about our kids.”
An excerpt:
To see so many lovely kids who face such profound obstacles in life was sobering, but it was as clarifying as a cool drink of water. Their problems may be complicated, but their sweet innocence is not.
Related stories:
Santa project helps autistic kids make magic memories – Kansas City Star
Sensitive Santa meets disabled kids — Kentucky Post
(Photo from Kentucky Post)
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December 18th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
A lesson for all of us.
December 18th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Recently, my daughter (with autism) came across a Santa in jeans, overalls and a gray sweater. He had a huge beard, wore glasses and a santa hat but wasn’t in the big red suit and boots. She LOVED it. She has always stayed far from the mall santas, but in this low-key setting with a low-key (calmly dressed) santa was perfect for her.