Office for People with Special Needs

office on speical needs ice skating header

About the Office

Manuel Ramirez, Coordinator

E-mail mramirez@ucnj.org

Phone: 908-527-4781

Organizationally under the Department of Human Services, Division of Outreach and Advocacy

Mission

To provide recreational and social opportunities for residents living with special needs including physical, cognitive and developmental challenges;
To provide outreach to community groups and organizations to identify needs and interests of persons and families living with special needs as an opportunity to design effective programs;
To develop additional resources to fund programs targeting engagement of persons living with special needs;
To identify and implement an effective means of communication to educate community residents on programs and social events available such as yoga, ceramics, zumba, cooking, golf, swimming, sensory friendly theatre shows, a carnival and a barn dance.

Recreation Programs

Register online these programs

Karate
Clark Recreation Center. Clark
Thursdays August 23 – September 20

Yoga
Sensory Friendly Trail
Mondays, September 10 – October 8, 5pm – 6pm

Ceramics
Gregorio Center, Linden
Tuesdays, September 18 & 25

Karate Program
Special Needs Karate Program will begin this Thursday August 23rd at the Clark Recreation Center. Classes for ages 5-15 will begin at 7pm to 7:45pm and classes for ages 16 and up will begin at 8:00 to 8:45pm. The Karate Program is a 5 week program

Special Events

Register online these events

Carnival for People with Special Needs
Warinanco Sports Center, Roselle
Saturday, August 18, , 12pm – 3pm

Fall Fishing Derby
Echo Lake Park, Mountainside
Saturday, September 22, 10am – 1pm

Hotel Transylvania 3
August 4, 2018 10:30am
AMC Loews Jersey Gardens 20, 651 Kapkowski Rd, Elizabeth
$5.00 With Food Voucher
Registration is Required

Walking Club for Teens and Young Adults with Special Needs
Children with special needs can join a local Girl Scout working toward her Gold Award for six Saturday morning walks throughout the summer from 9 – 11 a.m. The walks will be held on July 14, July 28, August 11, August 25 and September 1 at Oak Ridge Park in Clark and on September 15 at Echo Lake Park in Mountainside. The walks are free and drop-off only to provide respite for caregivers. Participants aged 13 – 21 are welcome to attend any or all dates. Register

The Department of Human Service’s Office for the Disabled provides information and referral on a wide variety of topics, including: Accessibility, ADA, Education, Employment, Housing, Transportation, Rehabilitation and more.

For further information, please call the Office for the Disabled

Monday through Friday (8:30am – 4:30pm)

908-527-4845 TTY please dial 711

* Program (if marked *) is made possible by funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Program.

** Program (if marked **) is made possible by funding from the NJ Department of Community Affairs, through a Recreational Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities Grant.