Special needs
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Children and Adults with Special Needs

 

SPECIAL NEEDS ASSISTANCE
   
  Assisting guests with special needs    
SPECIAL NEEDS DOLPHIN PATHWAYS PROGRAM
   
  Personalized, goal-oriented 5 Day Program    
     

 

SPECIAL NEEDS ASSISTANCE :

Special Needs Program: Assisting guests with special needs to participate in DRC's interactive programs

DRC's Special Needs Program assists and enables individuals with various physical or mental challenges, chronic, or life threatening illnesses to participate in any of the public interactive programs offered at DRC. Dolphin Encounter, Dolphin Dip, Meet the Dolphin and DRC's other educational programs are recreational interactions that can offer the opportunity for individuals to experience an encounter with a dolphin or sea lion. The Special Needs Program helps to remove the barriers to these interactions by providing private workshops, specialized equipment, and in-water or on the docks assistance, if needed.

For complete descriptions and prices of Dolphin Research Center’s interactive programs, please click to visit Get Wet with a Dolphin.

Through the years, the Special Needs Program has changed and grown and DRC has had the privilege of accommodating very special people of all ages, from all over the United States and around the world.

Our Goal 

Our program goal is to provide individuals with special needs and their families with moments of joy and laughter, which can be dramatically different from their usual routine of hospitals, doctors, treatments and challenges. Our experience has shown that including family members and friends in the program provides a unique shared adventure for everybody. Parents tell us the Dolphin Encounters, DolphinDip and dockside interactions are one of the few experiences that their children with special needs and their siblings have participated in together.

Teamwork
Many of the interactions are paid for by the individual, their family, or friends.

On occasion, the participants may be sponsored by "wish granting" organizations such as Make-A-Wish Foundation, Sunshine Foundation, Starlight Foundation, Children’s Wish Foundation, The Dream Foundation, Dream Come True, Dream Factory, Easter Seal Society, Children’s Hope and Dream Foundation, or any of the various foundations worldwide. A "wish" to swim or interact with dolphins offers a welcome respite from the stress of dealing with a serious illness as well as providing motivation to reach beyond current capabilities.

Although the sessions are under a trainer's guidance, we have often seen our dolphins innately change their style or actions when interacting with people in the Special Needs Program. Dolphins seem to be able to differentiate a person's needs and treat them accordingly. There are many stories which illustrate the dolphins' ability to use their echolocation to pick up physical differences such as a metal plate or a healed bone. Here are a few examples that describe what it is like to work with the special dolphins and special people who come together at DRC (some names have been changed).

Reservations for Guests with Special Needs

Dolphin Research Center welcomes guests with special needs. We assist and enable individuals to participate in the interactive programs by removing the barriers with specialized equipment and in-water or on-the- dock assistance, if needed. For the guest’s safety and comfort, we must be advised if there are any physical or mental conditions that could affect a guest's participation so we may plan accordingly to meet those needs. For more information and to make a reservation contact us at specialneeds@dolphins.org. If email is unavailable, please call (305) 289-1121 Ext. 232. Our Special Needs Coordinator will be happy to assist you Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM EST.

 

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SPECIAL NEEDS DOLPHIN PATHWAYS PROGRAM :

Five Day Program Monday-Friday

Recreational, motivational, educational program for children and adults with special needs.

A joy-filled, goal-oriented 5-day program swimming and playing with dolphins.

  • Five specially designed dolphin sessions. Two swims. Three docksides.
  • Five specially designed classroom sessions.

Dolphin Research Center is a not-for-profit education and research facility that is home to a colony of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions. Located on Grassy Key, Florida, our animals live in a natural environment in the Gulf of Mexico. Program participants enjoy a hands-on experience in this special setting.


The Special Needs Pathways Program is an individualized program designed for children and adults with special needs. Sessions are designed to help assist the individual work towards personal goals established by family and DRC staff. Entering into the dolphin’s world, educational and recreational activities are introduced to help increase motivation and enhance the personalized experience.


Participants may learn to feel more positively about themselves in an environment that promotes fun, play and learning, which provides them with the opportunity to bridge that experience back into their personal lives. Most of all, they are able to have a fun-filled time away from the stress of medical, physical, or emotional concerns.


Dolphin Sessions
Dolphins are the catalysts which stimulate the motivational and play levels of the participants during the two swim sessions and three dockside sessions. Activities are based on the needs and abilities of the individual. Each person’s session differs.

The activities range from hands-on interactions with a dolphin from the floating dock (e.g.. painting with a dolphin, touching the dolphins for kisses, learning signals which elicit certain behaviors from the dolphins, and playing games with balls and rings with the dolphins) to in-water interactions with the dolphin. During the last swim session, two family members may also take part in the in-water experience, creating a family memory that will last a lifetime. In painting with a dolphin, each participant creates a one-of-kind Dolphin Art T-shirt during a dockside session. One-on-one interactions with the dolphins may be just what the individual needs to reach beyond their day-to-day routine and try new things.

Classroom Sessions
The educational and recreational classroom sessions are tailored to each individual’s needs and abilities. Most participants will work on various creative activities with a dolphin based theme. Individualized goals are first introduced in the classroom. The classroom sessions support and reinforce the dolphin sessions.

Video
A video capturing one of the dolphin swim sessions and one of the dockside sessions is included for the participant to take home, view and recall the special moments experienced during the program.

  • Cost of the Five-Day Program: $2100 US dollars
  • Non-refundable deposit: $1050 US dollars
  • Deposit required at time of scheduling
  • Payment in full required two weeks before scheduled session
  • Dolphin Research Center accepts MasterCard, VISA, and Discovery credit cards

Until we receive your deposit, the dates are not final. Please refrain from making travel plans until we have confirmed dates and received your deposit.

Any participant with a seizure disorder must provide a doctor’s release stating that the person is able to participate fully and safely in the program.

To Apply for Personalized 5-day Goal Oriented Program >>> Click Here
(Must have Adobe Acrobat Reader Installed)

Mailing and contact information:

Dolphin Research Center
Special Needs Pathways Program
58901 Overseas Highway
Grassy Key, FL 33050-6019

Director: Joan Mehew
phone: (305) 289-1121 ext. 228
fax: (305) 743-7627
email: joan@dolphins.org

 

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