Main products, Services & What we are?
To provide the first ever Special Needs FUN Centre in Ireland where parents/guardians, carers, families and different organisations can bring children and young adults to have FUN, engage with others with similar needs and allow them develop at their own pace in comfortable and safe surroundings. There’s no facility like this in Ireland or in Europe according to our research so we will be the first. We know that no one child or adult is the same as the next, every person is unique in their own way. They, and their families, deserve a place that will account for different needs and personal preferences.
The Special Needs FUN Centre will help clients become more creative and independent, burn some energy and give parents and carers the opportunity to chat and exchange information and stories with each other. It will also provide a social gateway for parents as some people going to special schools are collected at home by bus and so there’s no school gate chat among parents, which as parents we feel we miss greatly.
We also want to establish our business by inviting sports, youth and scout groups and other organisations within the community into our centre to engage with our clients. By having these organisations come in we can also provide sports days and other learning activities as well as fun and games for all to enjoy.
We want to assure all children, young adults and their families that we can provide a SAFE and CLEAN environment where people with or without disabilities can have FUN. It will be a safe world where they can feel they belong and fit in and are comfortable with their environment.
Our immediate surroundings will be unique. We need to take into consideration the huge gap in our country where there is nothing suitable. Our children need and more importantly deserve this.
We are also going to provide a separate play centre area where able bodied kids can play and be themselves while their siblings can have FUN at their own pace in the other areas. The parents/guardians will also be able to relax to some degree while all the family have FUN.
We will have unique specialised equipment suitable to cater for people in wheelchairs and also those who may require additional support, including hoists. Some of the specialized services we will implement include:
• A barber service for those with special needs and disabilities where the surroundings will be unique and suitable to the user.
• A sensory room and a quiet room. These will have specialised equipment and a range of sensory toys which many find calming and soothing. A timeout session is very important, especially as some people cannot have this at home.
• A touch and feel sensory, i.e. “TACTILE” wall with different textures along the building which will suit many disabilities. We will also have visually impaired access to this.
• A soft play area for toddlers and a separate one for older kids and young adults.
• All our flooring in the designated play areas will be soft flooring suitable to those who may just like to roll around.
• Handrails around play areas that clients, especially those visually impaired, can use as a guide. Some may also be use as workout or physiotherapy rails or an aid to stand if wheelchair bound.
• Visual “PECS” (Picture Exchange Communication System) signs available to those who may require it. For example if someone who is nonverbal wishes to go to the toilet they can select the picture of a toilet to make their thoughts know.
• “My Town” Experience: An area for children where they can explore a free world of play and education and have fun by using their imagination. Examples include having a supermarket, library, post office, doctor’s surgery, fire and garda stations etc. This will give clients easy skill testing, a learning experience, a chance to educate themselves and build their confidence. It will also provide a chance to socialize with others and improve social skills.
• A function room able to cater for themed parties.
• A sports/activity room with specialised equipment, ie tables for wheelchair users.
• A meeting room available for presentations and meetings.
• A café in the centre of the main play hall available to all parents, carers and children offering snacks and hot and cold beverages. The hall will be designed so that you can still see your children at play while sitting at the café.
• An outdoor play area/sensory garden which will be fully secure. Families could have picnics in a place where their child is comfortable and SAFE. In the outdoor play area we will have regular and wheelchair swings and also water features to embrace the setting, scenery and surroundings.
During midterm breaks at school we will run activities and camps that will keep children entertained and take some pressure off parents with the worry of “What are we going to do?”.
The advantage we will have as a company is that we will provide an indoor place where parents, carers, organisations etc can take their kids/young adults in the event of inclement weather. At times rain may leave a lot of people house bound due to wheelchair users getting wet.
We will also have a car park where there will be allocated bays that will have extended aprons to prevent wheelchair users from getting wet. You will be able to reverse your wheelchair vehicle into the car space and you would unload your passenger while keeping them dry, followed by a sheltered walk into our premises.
The entrance and exit to our facility will be through a secured door , which will be fully accessible to wheelchair users, and doors which will be magnetically locked and can be released by staff. Emergency exits will be located on all external walls of the building and will be alarmed should they open. This is to cover the risk of a child taking off or known as a “Flight risk”.
All toilet facilities will have an emergency pull coil to alert staff of an emergency or assistance required. Designated appropriate toilets will be provided to cater for all needs. We will also provide a fully accessible changing room with a stretcher/changing bed and hoist supplied if required to change the child/young adult. We know very well that there are no facilities available to do this elsewhere, ie. shopping centres, playgrounds, hospital outpatient departments etc.
The centre and outdoor garden area will be covered by CCTV and will record 24hrs a day to ensure both security and safety to our customers and staff.
Upon entering our centre for the first time, customers will be made aware that our staff are there to assist them and supervise but the care of all children remains the responsibility of their parents, guardians or carers.
All our staff will be dressed in uniform that will clearly identify them to the customers.
All our staff will be fully trained in basic first aid and we will also have a first aid room on site equipped with an AED and stretcher should it be required.
Our staff will also be trained in child protection guidelines and will strictly adhere to this at all times.
All staff and volunteers working in the centre will be subject to Garda Vetting.
Legal Status
The company is limited by guarantee and will not have any share capital. Therefore, the directors, secretary and members who will serve will not have any beneficial interest in the company.