Sensory Friendly Trail Opens Monday, August 20 at Trailside Center!

With the kids at the Sensory Friendly Summer Camp

On Monday, August 20, 2018 at 10:00 AM, Union County will be hosting a ribbon-cutting for the new Sensory Friendly Trail at Trailside Nature and Science Center (452 New Providence Road) in Mountainside. The trails are ADA accessible, and there's a Braille Trail with guide ropes,  along with sensory gardens, outdoor classrooms, talking kiosks, interpretive sign language, and sensory play components. This past Thursday, Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados, Human Services Director Debbie-Ann Anderson, and I stopped by the Sensory Friendly Summer Camp, operated by the county's Office for People with Special Needs under the direction of Coordinator Manuel Ramirez. The young people were in the midst of a yoga session when we arrived, and afterward we chatted and enjoyed the outdoors. Additional recreation programs for people with special needs include: 

Karate (Clark Recreation Center) Thursdays, beginning August 23 - September 20; 
Yoga (Sensory Friendly Trail at Trailside, Mountainside) Mondays, beginning September 10 - October 8 from 5:00 - 6:00 pm; 
Ceramics (Gregorio Center, Linden) Tuesdays, September 18 and September 25. 

For more information, call Manuel Ramirez at (908) 527-4781 or email: mramirez@ucnj.org. Below is the stated mission of the Office for People with Special Needs:

Mission

• To provide recreational and social opportunities for residents living with special needs including physical, cognitive and developmental challenges;
• To provide outreach to community groups and organizations to identify needs and interests of persons and families living with special needs as an opportunity to design effective programs;
• To develop additional resources to fund programs targeting engagement of persons living with special needs;
• To identify and implement an effective means of communication to educate community residents on programs and social events available such as yoga, ceramics, zumba, cooking, golf, swimming, sensory friendly theatre shows, a carnival and a barn dance.