If it's the Special Needs session at the local splash park and you're not a SN family, would you stay or go?

[Waitrosejunkie1]

What would you do?

Good luck Waitrose. Whenever I've taken my boys to a "children with SN" event there are always staff from the short breaks team, or the children's autism outreach team or similar taking names on the door, chatting to families, introducing themselves to people who haven't been before etc. I don't know if anyone ever tries to go when their children don't have SN but I think they would politely be told that the event is for families who have children with SN and that they need to leave.

Maybe this attitude is the reason why there is a divide between children with disibilities to those without? I have never seen a pool session that states "Only children without disiblitities welcome for this session". If I was in the pool with my children and then told that the next session was for children with disiblitities I would probably leave. Nothing at all to do with the kids but I would see it as we would not be welcome.

It's clearly for the use of families with SN at this time, otherwise the sign (badly worded as it is) wouldn't be needed. Yes, I'd leave.

Purple, there are plenty of reasons given on this thread why people with disabilities would want their own pool session.

Unfortunately the world is full of people who think rules don't apply to them. Would parents take their children to a session aimed at pensioners? actually I bet some would

It would be obvious to me that such a session shouldn't include my DCs and we'd not go at that time. Once a months is disgusting it should be every flipping day or there should be far more play/splash parks especially built to cater for all needs.

It's a sad world we live in that most people can't think about others and sometimes put other people's needs first.

Although to be fair MN has made me think about why people do things and that there may be underlying issues as opposed to well that's just weird/not 'normal' - I now realise that everyone's 'normal' is different.

I have lurked for some time but reading this in what has been a long line of threads regarding facilities for disabled being abused felt I should post.

I don't know what life without disability is, I have one but it does not limit me. What I mean is I grew up caring for an epileptic mother with my siblings and when I had my son he was premature and had disabilities. There was no way to access things for him although we tried to go to sessions open to all it did not work, so he missed out. He is an adult now and disconnected from life as he feels people stare and even though there are sessions available for him won't go because others feel it is a great time for them and their family without difficulties to go. I also have a daughter, she too has disabilities and again tried to take her to open sessions but she could not cope, so looked at quieter times and eventually was able to access special ASD only sessions. Again these as others have said are being taken over.

People with disabilities and their families have fought long and hard for these non judgmental sessions so that they can be included but apparently from reading many comments on various threads, this is not allowed and is not fair to those not facing these difficulties.

I have to minutely plan taking my daughter out to an event or activity so on arriving and finding that activity full would just leave and spend the next few days at least, dealing with the fallout from my daughter's disappointment. So to those saying you would leave if it got busy, that's too late for me because like many others I would have already left. To those saying you want inclusion, that is fine for some disabled individuals but not all, I respect that it is ok for you, please respect that it does not work for my family or others.

To those saying what about this group they have rights too. Yes they do but understand I am one of many parents who have fought over many years just to get my children some very limited access to what you can access daily.

Some say there is low turnout for these sessions so that's why they allow others in, the reason for this is that many families with SN no longer can go because you are there.

I can not speak for everyone but I am fed up with my children being seen as a learning opportunity, being stared at by ignorant people and being subjected to those who feel that though they have no restrictions on access, their rights are more important than my children's.

It would be nice if a few more people could be less selfish and organisations enforced these sessions without us having to complain to get them to do so.

My children are more than their differences but need these concessions to help them grow and adapt to independent life, so let them have it.

I would leave - simply because I would feel that it was a session for people that might not usually feel comfortable in an ordinary session so it would not be fair for it to be filled up with people whose children did not have SN. IYSWIM.

Not because I would be concerned about anything happening as we try to make sure that DD accepts everyone she meets as equals, regardless of whatever their physical circumstances.

I'm sorry that sounds really patronising but I can't think of another way to say it.

It's nothing to do with non-sn families not being welcome.

Some children who have SN can't cope with crowds so having a "sn families only" session naturally makes it quieter.

Some children who have SN get abuse and bullying because of their sn behaviours or even just because they look different and in a session exclusively for SN families this doesn't happen.

Sometimes as parents we just want to go somewhere and be with people who understand what it's like to have children who have SN.