Are you looking for things to do on the North Shore with kids or adults who have developmental or physical disabilities? There are many fun activities and events for families that include a child with disabilities.
Several North Shore organizations and businesses offer events or special accommodations for kids and/or adults with disabilities on a regular, ongoing basis. We have also included parks, trails and other public places accessible to people with disabilities.
While Macaroni KID North Shore does our best to keep up, please double-check with the local}business or organization to make sure event details haven't changed.
Do you know of an upcoming event on the North Shore for families with functional needs? Email us details at cheryllachendro@macaronikid.com and we will add it to our Macaroni Kid North Shore events calendar!
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North Shore organizations that offer events and activities for people with disabilities
🌟 North Shore Education Consortium- Beverly
Northshore Education Consortium is the largest provider of special education programs for children with emotional, behavioral, and developmental disabilities on the North Shore.
🌟 Northeast Arc- Danvers
Northeast Arc’s Autism Support Center has been empowering families who have a member with autism or a related disorder by providing current, accurate, and unbiased information about autism, services, referrals, resources, and research trends.
🌟 Adult Foster Care of the North Shore- Gloucester
Adult Foster Care of the North Shore is committed to providing and supporting stable home placements for adults with disabilities. Our mission is to enable our clients to remain a vital part of the community.
🌟 Thom Chilld and Family Services- West Newbury
Thom offers an array of services to families, children and other professionals. Research findings continue to demonstrate that comprehensive, high-quality early intervention services are able to minimize the effects of medical and environmental risks, diagnosed disabilities and developmental delays. Our early intervention teams deliver these services within the context of families and communities.
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North Shore businesses and museums with events and activities for people with disabilities
🌟 Sky Zone- Danvers
Sensory hours take place the second Sunday of the month, 8 AM - 10 AM (Call ahead to reserve your spot!)Enjoy the freedom of jumping. Sensory hours provide a quieter, toned-down jumping experience for those with special needs. Please note that the first hour will be very low sensory with no music playing. The second hour there will be music playing due to our other programming. Please call ahead to reserve your spot for this month at 978-252-3000.
The Y is committed to the inclusion model giving people of all abilities access to our programs. To accomplish this, we partner with families and individuals with disabilities to develop programming to meet their unique needs. To meet this goal we provide a unique registration process that includes an intake and creation of Individual Ability Plans (IAP). With a plan in place, individuals with disabilities gain the support they need to successfully immerse into a program where they can learn, thrive, and grow.
🌟 Special Stars- Salisbury
We are a performing arts program that offers affordable adaptive singing, dancing, and acting classes for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Students learn to express themselves through creative group music and movement activities while gaining confidence and appreciation for the arts. We offer personal attention to meet each person's specific needs. All classes culminate in a live performance for friends and family.
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North Shore sports opportunities for a person with disabilities
🌟Spaulding Adaptive Sports Centers- North Shore
- Register HERE
- In person and virtual options are available.
🌟 Miracle League- Beverly
The Children’s Center for Communication/ Beverly School for the Deaf (CCCBSD) is honored to be the host and home of the North Shore chapter of The Miracle League.
We are proud to have the North Shore’s only all-accessible, rubberized baseball field perfect to accommodate all players and adaptive equipment.
More players are always welcome! We are currently accepting applications for parent and student volunteers to help organize or coach teams. For more information, e-mail us at: playball@cccbsd.org. (Miracle League takes place in the Spring)
🌟 Windrush Farm- North Andover
- Windrush offers occupational and physical therapy incorporating equine movement through its partnership with Reinbow Therapy. LLC. The rhythmic and three dimensional natural movement of the horse provides motor and sensory input for clients facing physical and cognitive challenges.
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Favorite accessible parks and trails on the North Shore
🌟 Bradley Palmer State Park- Topsfield
A fully paved wheelchair assessable walkway. An awesome wading pool and water sprays for little kids.
🌟 Hellcat Interpretive Trail- Newburyport
You will find handicap accessibility at the Parker River Wildlife Reserve..all new handicapped accessible boardwalk trail. This very short handicap accessible walk goes out into the marsh.
🌟 Amesbury Riverwalk- Amesbury
The Amesbury Riverwalk (also known as the Powwow Riverwalk) carries visitors between a resurgent waterfront district on the Powwow River to a modern shopping center on the outskirts of this historical mill town. The 1.3-mile paved trail is handicap accessible and part of the Coastal Trails Network, which one day will link several northeastern Massachusetts communities with 30 miles of trail.
