As a parent of an 8 year old daughter who has unique health and educational needs, I have spent countless hours researching services and activities for children with disabilities.  I strongly believe that my daughter should be included in community events and participate in as many activities as her peers.  While our pediatrician’s office has been amazing at helping me navigate the system, there are also a lot of services and recreational opportunities I found by networking with people in the community.  Through this process I have come to realize that our challenges are not unique, that there is very little information available for families who have children with disabilities, and that it is often difficult to find accessible programming, particularly after the age of 3.  I started Kaylasdirectory.org to help address these challenges.

The vision of Kayla’s Directory is a life of fulfillment, participation and inclusion for every child with disabilities in Vermont.

Our mission is to enrich the lives of Vermont’s children with disabilities through greater community involvement and increased access to developmental services and recreational activities.

We seek to achieve our mission by:

• Providing a central and comprehensive online directory of community resources to assist the families of children with disabilities in locating and accessing services
• Purchasing adaptive equipment for local organizations and businesses so that children with disabilities are able to more fully participate in their communities
• Working with local organizations to create fun, affordable educational and recreational programming that is specifically tailored to children with disabilities
• Creating venues for children with disabilities and their families to share experiences and enjoy peer group activities in a stress-free and supportive environment

We strongly believe that community is an important component of the human experience and that a fulfilled and happy life is one that is shared.  Enabling children with disabilities to participate in activities like their less challenged peers not only improves their lives in the present, but also builds a strong foundation for them to continue to positively interact in the community in the future.  Through community involvement, children with disabilities not only have a higher quality of life, but so do all those whom they touch – parents, peers, instructors and other community members.

Our desire is to share our model of inclusion to make a difference in the lives of children and families in Vermont.