The Parkview Warsaw YMCA is now offering specific programs for individuals of all ages that have special needs.
Some of the new services available are private swim lessons, water motion classes, an adaptive soccer clinic, and inclusion assistance.
In an effort to continue to provide a place for everyone, the Kosciusko Community YMCA has hired Anne Petre as the recently added, Adaptive Program Coordinator. Petre has a Masters Degree in therapeutic recreation from Indiana University and has helped develop other adaptive programs in previous years.
According to Petre, the YMCA added the programs because there is a great need in the community for programs that accommodate everyone in a family, including individuals with special needs.
“Just talking with the population here in the community, and knowing there’s Joe’s Kids, and Magic Meadows, and Lighthouse Autism Center that all have a lot of needs and this is just a great way to meet a need that they can’t with leisure recreation in an entire family,” Petre said.
Petre explained that people with disabilities are still a segregated minority group in many situations and areas. She said she hopes that the new YMCA programs can eliminate some of that segregation for both the individuals and their families.
“It’s still a very segmented minority group. It’s the only minority group that anyone can be a part of at any time. It crosses all races, genders, and religions for an individual with a disability and it’s a need that’s not met and [the programs are] something that I see can make a huge difference, not just in an individual’s life personally, but in a family’s life. And that’s so important and powerful,” Petre expressed.
For more information, or to see what programs would work best for you or your loved one with a disability, call the YMCA at (574) 269-9622 and ask to talk to Anne Petre or Steven Kuhn.
