story by Julie Campbell
Activities and attractions abound for both adults and children with special needs.
As a mother of special needs children, Mindy Rogers is always on the lookout for places around the state that will accommodate her family. Mindy’s two teenage sons have Down Syndrome, her oldest daughter is blind, and her youngest son deals with ADHD.
Mindy, who serves as the interim operations director at Visit French Lick West Baden, heads into each family outing with a positive mindset and encourages other parents of special needs kids to do the same.
“We have little-to-no expectations about the outing,” explains Mindy. “We’ve learned that having high expectations can ruin a day when something goes wrong. The only expectation is that we are going to have an adventure.”
Fortunately, there are plenty of accessible adventures to be found all around the Hoosier State.
Mindy’s family lives in Orange County, so they often enjoy activities close to home. One of their favorites is The French Lick Scenic Railway.
“The employees are very attentive to the kids, asking me if they require anything special or extra for our ride,” Mindy says. “They include the kids in the interactive entertainment, and my kids love the train rides.”
Animal lovers will enjoy Wilstem Wildlife Park in nearby Paoli, which features a drive-through safari and hands-on animal experiences, a favorite of Mindy’s son, Eli, who is the family’s “animal whisperer.”
Other Orange County favorites of the Rogers’ family include Big Splash Indoor Water Park, Paoli Rock-N-Bowl, and Bledsoe Farms.
In nearby Corydon, you’ll find Possibility Playground, featuring 18 different slides and an abundance of swings and climbing areas. This 32,000 square foot, all-inclusive playground is among the largest of its kind in the United States and is suited for children of all ages and abilities. It provides inclusive, dynamic, and imaginative play experiences, showcasing innovation and community spirit amidst breathtaking natural scenery within the Hayswood Nature Reserve.
Widely known for its natural beauty, music, and arts scene, Brown County offers a plethora of accessible options. At Brown County State Park, guided tours and wheelchair-accessible paths are available—perfect for connecting with nature.
Prefer exploring by car? Peaceful Valley Heritage and Preservation’s Driving Tours will help you discover Brown County’s historical sites, churches, and cemeteries while taking in scenic drives
through the county’s rolling hills. And there are plenty of venues with accessible spaces and entertainment, including Brown County Music Center and Brown County Playhouse.
In the city of Carmel, a recent addition to River Heritage Park features an over one-mile-long accessible nature trail that runs along the White River. Designed using Universal Design, this trail complements an existing wheelchair-friendly .75- mile loop trail. Ten new interpretive signs, which include braille and tactile graphics, were installed along the loop trail in the fall of 2024.
“The city strives to make all of our destinations, sidewalks, paths, and trails accessible for everyone to make sure all people can get to where they are going in the city without any issues or obstructions,” says David Littlejohn, ADA coordinator for the city of Carmel.
Seasonal events to add to your future bucket list include Carmel’s Community Sensory Day in Midtown Plaza to kick off March as Disability Awareness Month and a March Virtual Art Exhibit, highlighting art by artists with disabilities. “We turn off all music and have activities for attendees to enjoy for the event,” said Littlejohn.
“During the event, the CACD provides activities like sensory toys and items for people to use while a movie with no sound, including closed captioning, plays on the Midtown screen.”
More sensory friendly opportunities are available at The Wabash County Museum. The Meadow is a play space inside the museum where guests with sensory challenges can retreat when they need quiet time. Walking into the space, guests notice lower lighting, forest imagery on the windows, and three 8-foottall custom wood trees located throughout the space. Multiple seating options are available in varied sizes for guests of all ages, while soft rugs invite visitors to lie down under a tree much like you might do in a meadow. In addition to natural material activities like wooden animals, stacking logs, weighted stuffed animals, and felted wool stones, The Meadow contains an Augmented Reality (AR) sandbox, a fiber optic waterfall, and a light table with color mixing technology.
“The positive response by visitors to the museum has been incredible,” explains the museum’s executive director, Teresa Galley. “We have seen the space used by adults to read or rest, by children who prefer quiet interaction, and by families who visit the museum specifically to spend time in The Meadow. Children with Autism or other sensory processing challenges spend hours in the space. It has definitely opened our doors to many new families who did not have access to this type of space before ours opened.”
If outdoor activities are more your speed, a visit to the Indiana Dunes might be in order. Whether you use a wheelchair, need assistance with hearing, or can’t maneuver the sand with your walker, the Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park offer a variety of services available for increased accessibility, including special power chairs and motorized all-terrain attachments for wheelchairs.
Bison sighting on your bucket list? Head over to Kankakee Sands Nature Conservancy in Morocco, just off U.S. Highway 41. New ADA accessible platforms and viewing areas help wildlife
lovers observe the 90+ bison grazing on the prairie. ADA accessible viewers, which include Endchrome technology for color blindness, have also been added recently.
Shipshewana and LaGrange County are developed with accessibility in mind for every visitor. The region features ramps, handrails, accessible restrooms, rentable scooters, accessible elevators, hotel rooms, and expertly trained staff. An audio guide details the rich history and culture of the area. The visitshipshewana.org website is built with accessibility options as well.
The Columbian Park Zoo, located in Lafayette, offers yet another up-close-and-personal experience with animals. From wallabies and kookaburras to spider monkeys and porcupines, the animals are a hit with young visitors as well as the young-at-heart. Pathways are ADA compliant and consist of various substrates including concrete, gravel, sand, and mulch. Wheelchairs and other ADA mobility devices are permitted in all public areas, including
contact yards and immersion exhibits.
Curious about life on the farm? Head over to Fair Oaks Farms to witness the intricate workings of a 21st century dairy and pig farm. Situated on 19,000 acres about 70 miles south of Chicago in the rural Indiana town of Fair Oaks, the farm entertains as well as educates thousands of visitors each year. The facilities are all ADA compliant, and the tours are completely ADA accessible.
In Madison, you’ll discover Crystal Beach Aquatic Park, newly renovated and located along the Ohio River, offering inclusive amenities for all visitors. The park opens Memorial Day weekend, providing a welcoming space in the heart of downtown. Nearby, Hargan Mathews Park features an all-accessible playground and wheelchair-friendly pathways, ensuring fun for everyone. Nature lovers can take in breathtaking views at Clifty Falls State Park’s ADA-accessible trail leading to a breathtaking scenic overlook on Trail 7. This spot also features specialized “colorblind viewers,” allowing visitors with color vision deficiencies to fully appreciate the park’s
stunning landscapes.
Along with Clifty Falls, many of Indiana’s state parks have accessible and wheelchair-friendly trails. Check out their Indiana Trail Finders Map, or the DNR website for more details and information.
Through the birdability.org map, nature lovers can find locations around the state to enjoy accessible bird watching experiences. Birdability works to ensure the birding community and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe, and accessible for everybody. The organization focuses on people with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, chronic illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental illness, and those who are neurodivergent, deaf or hard of hearing or who have other health concerns. In addition to current birders, they strive to introduce birding to people with disabilities and other health concerns who are not yet birders so they too can experience the joys of birding.
At the Zionsville Lions Club Fall Festival, coming up September 5-7, individuals with special needs are the VIPs. The weekend kicks off on Friday with the VIP Carnival, a special event for families with special needs, offering a welcoming and inclusive experience for all.
Based in Crown Point, Emberly’s Smiles is a non-profit organization started in memory of Emberly Reese Brazil, who passed away in June of 2020. Emberly suffered with Rett Syndrome and was nonverbal. The goal of Emberly’s Smiles is to enable other children with special needs to have accessible parks in their community—where they can feel included with everyone else. They’ve installed communication boards for those who are nonverbal and encourage activities for all abilities. Many of these boards can be found in parks throughout northwest Indiana.
One of nine official Paralympics training facilities, Turnstone, is located in Indiana’s second largest city, Fort Wayne, Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities has been providing adaptive sports and recreation for 20 years. As the fourth largest Paralympic Sport Club in the United States, Turnstone offers competitive and recreational opportunities in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, power soccer, indoor rowing, adaptive golf, sled hockey, boccia, and more.
