SNAAP (Special Needs Advisory & Activities Project) provides leisure activities and support for disabled children and young people who live in East Kent.
There are over 22,000 disabled children and young people living in the area, who are unable to access suitable leisure activities after school and in school holidays that other families take for granted. It is often easier for parents to stay at home than to take their child into a public place where they can’t predict their behaviour or feel too overwhelmed to try.
SNAAP helps more than 500 families each year by providing holiday playschemes, family support services, a specialist toy & book lending library, minibus days out, term time clubs and accessible beach hut hire in Whitstable. Last summer they offered families 15 different family days out, and had up to 72 children attending each day.
Petra’s son, Matthew, is 8 and has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dyspraxia and a sensory processing disorder.
Petra used to feel that she couldn’t take her son out without constantly apologising for his strange behaviour. She remembers people staring at her child who was flapping, spinning, hitting himself, walking like a crab and carrying him down any steps. He couldn’t access swimming lessons, clubs or groups.
Petra and Matthew now attend SNAAP’s weekly Stay & Play sessions, family days out and holiday play sessions. She said:
“I don’t know where I would be without SNAAP, but I do know that my children would be worse off. I would be a lot unhappier and would be in my own four walls a lot more”.
Global’s Make Some Noise is proud to help SNAAP deliver more days out and activities for disabled children and their families.