When many people think of “special needs” they think of the disability first, the individual second. They identify people based on perceptions of what that person can or cannot do, rather than focusing on the common elements that make us all human. At Mt. Bethel Village, a special assisted living community for people with special needs, every person on the staff understands that we are all people first. Regardless of our individual strengths and challenges, we all want love, respect, to be treated kindly, to feel valued, to feel like we contribute to our community, and to have fun.
Mt. Bethel Village offers its residents and day program members a number of fun opportunities, to prevent boredom and encourage the development of skills and desired behaviors. Some of our recreational opportunities include: renowned music program, various sports and exercise opportunities including yoga, Ping-Pong, arts and crafts, photography, computer games, computer games and computer skills, and hanging out with peers Sometimes people take peers for granted, since many of us have daily opportunities to simply relax with a peer group. However, social support and friendship are critical to all human beings. At Mt. Bethel, residents and day program participants are encouraged to form friendships, and family members can relax knowing that those friendships are supervised. After all, anyone with a special needs family members knows the fear that someone will take advantage of a trusting or naïve loved one.
While fun for the sake of fun is critical to happiness, it is important to realize that at Mt. Bethel, they understand fun with a purpose. Almost all of the activities have a behavioral goal in addition to a recreational goal. For example, yoga increases core strength, which can be important for many people with special needs, while the computer games can help develop critical computer skills that they may need for employment or volunteer opportunities, or to help them communicate with family members and other loved ones.
One of the most important aspects of our fun activities is socialization. What many families with a member with special needs soon come to realize is that being different can be very isolating. Whether through intentional cruelty or simply because people do not know how to incorporate individuals with challenges into routine celebrations and recreational activities, people are often left out of the fun. By providing socialization opportunities, Mt. Bethel helps eradicate this loneliness.
