Kids of all abilities can play together at this new Green Bay-area play space
ASHWAUBENON - When you visit You Belong, a nonprofit that serves people of all abilities and ages, you'll likely be cheerfully greeted by 12-year-old Keith — and promptly asked to play.
Keith has childhood apraxia of speech, which makes it difficult to employ the complex muscle movements needed for speech. Over the past three years, he went from being nonverbal to being able to communicate in almost full sentences.
But one thing has always remained constant: his talent at forming fast friends.
“He’s never been shy,” said his mom, Jamie Bernetzke of Freedom, with a smile. “Even when he couldn’t communicate, he would get groups of people to play with him that we wouldn’t even know.”
On Feb. 10, You Belong, 2960 Allied St., Suite 103 and 104, will open its new indoor accessible learning and play center, The Adventure Zone, to the public, allowing Keith to share one of his favorite spaces with more new friends.
Every aspect of this play space — from wall murals depicting dinosaurs of various abilities to the double-wide ramp leading up to the Animal Adventure Tree House — is designed to be fully accessible and foster an environment where people of all abilities can play, explained You Belong founders Greg and Amy Behrend.
“From my perspective, what we’re trying to do is bring families together and bring the whole community together,” said Sami Schmechel, You Belong program assistant.
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Adventure Zone is more than 'accessible with asterisks'
The Animal Adventure Tree House includes slides, a “ranger station” where children can help take care of "sick" stuffed animals and hands-on games. Children can also try their hand at archaeology in the dinosaur excavation area, or explore the sensory room, a dimly lit space filled with features like tap lights, a little hut and glowing bubble tubes that can be especially valuable to children who need a soothing space to play. The Adventure Zone also boasts a sensory maze where each wall has a different sensory activity, the puppet theater and more.
There’s also a separate area designed for young children up to 16 months with soft climbing blocks, toys and activities.
With its myriad of activities and exhibits, all made possible because of grants, business sponsorships and donations, You Belong executive director Greg Behrend likens it to a children’s museum. But, he said, there are a few key differences.
For one, you won’t see big crowds. There’s a limited number of individuals allowed into the Adventure Zone at a time. Because of this, the Behrends recommend families sign up for their preferred dates and times online; walk-ins are accepted too, as long as there is space.
“Looking at other children’s museum spaces, when there’s so many kids in there, it can be very overstimulating for individuals who have sensory processing challenges,” Greg Behrend said. “So by limiting the number of people, we’re reducing stress and the risk of making it a challenge for someone to be in this space in an enjoyable way.”
The Adventure Zone is also not limited to any particular age group, nor does it have height limits like many other play spaces. The You Belong team said it is designed for, but not limited to, children and youth who are developmentally up to 10 years old.
“There may be older children and adults who find it meaningful,” said Amy Behrend, director of You Belong’s programs and one of its family class educators. She explained that sometimes age and height limits can exclude people with disabilities from activities they would enjoy.
The Adventure Zone fills the community’s need for a truly accessible play space, the You Belong team said. Often, spaces aim to be inclusive by providing a few elements geared towards people with mobility challenges, but don’t take into account needs outside the physical realm. Jourdyn Bald, a You Belong board member who is also on its Adventure Zone Planning Committee, describes such environments as “accessible with asterisks.”
“The less a disability is able to be seen, the harder it is to accommodate it,” explained Christi Engels, You Belong family educator and Adventure Zone Planning Committee member.
By being created with all abilities in mind, The Adventure Zone bucks this trend.
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A meaningful space for all
Spaces like the Adventure Zone benefit people both with and without disabilities, the You Belong team said.
“(You Belong and the Adventure Zone) makes Keith feel included. It gives him a space where he doesn’t have to pretend and he’s able to be himself fully,” Bernetzke said. “He’s around other kids with abilities like him, where he’s not around that as much anywhere else we go.”
Such spaces also bring peace of mind to families of children with disabilities, Amy Behrend said.
“For the parents, sometimes there’s this anxiety and fear around bringing (their children) to different settings. ‘How is it going to go? People are going to judge me. We’re not going to be able to stay there,’” she said. “We’ve had moms that come to (You Belong programs) who have a child with a significant disability that said … they were able to just feel at home.”
Engels said the Adventure Zone provides children without disabilities the chance to learn about others and foster skills like empathy, which will help them later in life.
“It creates that more natural environment of learning about disabilities and for the general community to become more comfortable with disabilities,” Engels said. “When we create spaces for that to happen, then more people are comfortable working with (people with disabilities) and volunteering with them.”
Families can purchase a daily play pass for $7 per child; accompanying adults and caregivers get in for free, as do children younger than 1. Because space is limited, reserving a time slot online in advance is recommended.
Monthly and annual passes that include unlimited play vary in price depending on the number of children. For more information, visit youbelongwi.org/adventurezone.
The Adventure Zone is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.
The programming referenced in this article is secular and separate from the You Belong Faith Community.
Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108. Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: You Belong Adventure Zone puts accessibility at the forefront
