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For many Tri-Valley kids who celebrate Christmas, meeting Santa Claus for the first time and taking those momentous photos can be both exciting and nerveracking.
But for children with developmental disorders or disabilities, that same experience — usually set in a mall or other crowded space — it’s usually the latter.
That’s why organizations like the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District created programs like its new “Sensory Santa” event this year so that more children can have those special holiday moments, just in a more comfortable setting.
“Everyone should have an opportunity for recreation, regardless of your ability to do it,” Makenna Nation, a recreation coordinator at LARPD, told the Weekly. “It’s a part of what makes a high quality of life … being able to participate in that is everybody’s right.”
According to the LARPD’s website, “adaptive recreation focuses on customizing recreation programs and activities to accommodate individuals of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).”
Nation, who oversees the park district’s new adaptive recreation programming, said the LARPD had been wanting to offer more recreation events designed for people with I/DD for a while.
She said they have been hosting their Donuts with Santa for quite some time, but last year they noticed how loud and overwhelming it might be for those with sensory sensitivities.
So she said they decided to try out their new event for the first time this past weekend, “Sensory Santa: A Gentle, Sensory-Friendly Holiday Event”.
“Rooted in recreational therapy practices, these programs will foster positive social interactions, enhance physical health, and build essential social skills through engaging in community recreation activities,” according to the LARPD’s website.
The event, which was hosted in the LARPD event room on Dec. 13, was specifically catered for children with autism and other disabilities to meet Santa in a sensory-friendly environment. There were limited decorations and other small tweaks to make the entire experience more sensory sensitive.
Nation said families signed up for one of the 12 time slots so that they and their kids could have a one-on-one session with Santa, which “opens up a much bigger opportunity for people in the community that can get very overwhelmed and uncomfortable in those big event settings.”
Livermore resident Laura Zupan and her family were among those who attended the Sensory Santa event last Friday — her 4-year-old son Nolan is autistic and has attended other adaptive LARPD events. Zupan told the Weekly even though her son is in a general classroom setting, participating in smaller group settings allows him to comfortably try new activities, like meeting Santa.
“I truly appreciated how Makenna and her team kept the event size small, allowed us to purchase a private time slot to meet Santa and put Santa in a different room than the main event so that it would be less stimulating for our sensory sensitive kids,” Zupan said.
Apart from the meet-and-greet, Nation said there were also crafts and games for the families to enjoy while they waited for their time slot.
Before the event, Nation said the 12 time slots filled up pretty fast and that they were going to use this first run at the event as a learning experience so that hopefully next year, they can offer more timeslots.
Plus, LARPD wasn’t the only organization to host such an event in the area.
Back on Dec. 8, the Stoneridge Shopping Center hosted its yearly Caring Santa event early in the morning.
Astrid Ramos, director of marketing and business development for the shopping center in Pleasanton, said it was a privilege to once again host the private photo event, which was made exclusively for children with I/DD, and to spread the holiday cheer with more families.
“We have worked with our Santa partner, Cherry Hill, for years to bring the Caring Santa event, along with our other Santa photo-related experiences, to life,” Ramos said in a statement to the Weekly.
“Caring Santa gives children with special needs and their families a unique opportunity to enjoy the holidays in a comfortable, controlled and festive environment,” Ramos added. “As a family-focused center, it is important that we create a welcoming environment that allows shoppers to look forward to their experience at our property every time they visit.”
Nation also said LARPD is working on tweaking other holiday-related events throughout the year so that every resident — regardless of their abilities — can participate in local recreation.
“It’s important to serve the entire community and not let that population fall under and not be served,” she said.
