The following organizations and events target children and adults with special needs.
» Chattanooga Therapeutic Recreation organizes hikes, sporting events and camps for youth and adults with special needs. For more information go to Chattanooga Therapeutic Recreation Services Facebook page or call 423-643-6606.
» Go Fest, an annual event celebrating people of all abilities, is scheduled 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Chattanooga Zoo. Everybody gets in free.
» Chattanooga Autism Center offers social activities, REACH summer camp and therapy for youth with autism. The center also has support groups for parents. And it offers a monthly Parents Day Out. Parents may drop their children off at the Autism Center on McCallie Avenue for four hours on the designated Saturday. The children play games, watch movies and get lunch for $5. The event provides a respite for parents with special-needs children. The next Parents Day Out is scheduled noon-4 p.m. Sept. 15.
» Signal Centers has services for adults and children. Its adult center offers an arts-based day program for people with disabilities. It’s a social model with no skilled nursing. It also provides employment services targeting people transitioning out of high school or people who have experienced a disability later in life and are going back to work. Call 423-698-8528.
The center also provides assisted technology services such as installing blinking lights to notify a deaf person when his doorbell rings.
Children’s services at Signal Centers include early education for children from 6 weeks to kindergarten. Every class has a mixture of typically developing and children with disabilities. Signal Centers partners with the Hamilton County school system to provide speech and language therapy. It also provides summer camp for youth ages 3 to 18 years old. Parents shouldn’t wait until summer to apply. The camps usually fill up by February, says Pam Hudson, Signal Centers director. Call 423-698-8528.
» Siskin Children’s Institute provides an early learning center for children of all abilities up to age 6. It’s a private preschool with a full-time nurse on staff and low teacher/student ratios. The Siskin Center for Developmental Pediatrics offers assessment, diagnosis, treatment and support for children with or at risk for developmental delays and disorders, according to the website, siskin.org
» Orange Grove Center is a private nonprofit organization that serves adults and children with intellectual disabilities. It provides residential and employment services to people with special needs. Visit the website at orangegrovecenter.com or call 629-1451 for more information.
Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.