In celebration of Halloween, every year we host some super families at the JMZ for a fun and festive evening for parents and kids alike.
These Halloween events are part of our Super Family Sundays series, which are appreciation days for families who have children with physical disabilities and learning differences. Designed and hosted by a team of expert educators, we aim to provide a positive and liberating experience, in a tolerant and welcoming environment, for the whole family to enjoy together.
Super Family Sunday events are part of a broader inclusion and accessibility initiative that will be expanded in our new Junior Museum & Zoo, when it opens in 2020. We are pleased to share that we just received a major grant to help us with this kind of work.
Access from the Ground Up is a three-year project to make the new JMZ facility and its exhibits accessible to everyone. Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the amount of $270,124, it will provide science learning opportunities to children with physical and developmental disabilities.
The JMZ will build relationships with partner organizations that serve children with disabilities, provide professional development for staff, and engage experts and families who have children with disabilities in the development of exhibits and Access Resources. As a result, the JMZ will be more accessible to visitors and more engaged with the disability community. The project will serve as a regional and national model for inclusion for museums and zoos of all types and sizes. Last year we hosted six Super Family Sundays and in the future we plan to do that and much much more, thanks to this grant and to others who support the JMZ on an ongoing basis.
Happy Halloween from all of us at the JMZ to all of you super families out there!
