More than 200 families with children who have special needs had LEGOLAND KC all to themselves Saturday morning.
The event featured a harness that was the first of its kind in the KC metro.
"When you have a child with special needs, it's four times more expensive to raise them," said Deborah Wiebrecht, executive director of Variety KC Children's Charity, the organization who put the event together. "It's harder to get out and do things, and by proving this harness system here, it allows their child to stand and play for the first time with other kids. If you can boil children down to just playing with each other, they forget they have a disability."
The harness uses ball bearing fitted rings that slide along suspended poles allowing the child a full range of motion. It was a big hit with children who are normally in a wheelchair, but for parents, the harness meant so much more.
"It's overwhelming, but it makes my heart so incredibly happy," said Jenna Franklin, the mother of a child who cannot walk or talk because of a brain condition. "It feels like my child is a typical child in this harness and it takes all this burden of special needs away because he gets to do things that everybody else does. So it feels great."
Variety KC Children's Charity hopes to use the harness at other events throughout the year.
Smiles all around! @VarietyKC introducing families to a special harness for playing w/o wheelchair. @41ActionNews pic.twitter.com/lLiSLJE62F
— Aubrey Morse (@aubstheword) May 7, 2016
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Richard Sharp can be reached at richard.sharp@kshb.com.
