MAIER Family Partnership Places & Spaces Project

Silouette of family walking outdoors with birds flying overheadMaine “Places and Spaces” is now online!

Do you have a favorite state park or recreational area, library, museum or other place that your family enjoys together? Do you know about special events for families that include a child with ASD? Let us know so we can share it with other Maine families!

We are launching our “Places and Spaces” webpages, thanks to help from MAIER Family Partnership (MFP) parents and friends, Diana McFarland, Angela Morse, Jessica Fine, Karen Grotton-Pelletier, and Olivia White. The Places & Spaces Directory already includes a few listings, and with your help we can grow that number to make the MAIER Places & Spaces your “go-to” directory when you are looking for ideas for family recreation and fun!

The Places and Spaces project arose from conversations with MAIER families who told us they would like to have a place to share  information on places and spaces around Maine for family recreation. Sometimes this means the staff is particularly accepting and open to making accommodations, or the environment is a good fit for someone with sensory challenges. Other places may have special times or events especially for families impacted by autism. The project is still a work in progress, but we envision building the Places & Spaces Directory and adding resources and materials over time. Our overall goal is encourage families to explore new places with your children and to foster inclusion and acceptance in Maine communities.

So take a look at the Places & Spaces webpages, explore our first directory listings and related resources, and tell us about your favorite Maine places and spaces to visit by filling out a “Places and Spaces Directory Submission Form.”  And use the “Event Submission” form to let us know about special events around the state so we can add them to our Community Calendar. We’d love to hear your feedback on the project, or ideas for growing the directory. Contact Donna, MFP Director at MAIER, by email or phone (207-581-2468) to participate!