‘This Is Absolutely Amazing’: Inclusive Together, Library Organize Inaugural Back-To-School Event

Dozens of local parents, community organizations, service providers and district officials gathered at New Canaan Library on Wednesday afternoon for a first-of-its-kind back-to-school event serving parents with children who are neurodivergent, have disabilities or have learning differences. 

Launched by New Canaan-founded nonprofit Inclusive Together and the library, the inaugural “Back-To-School Together” event featured well-attended workshops and a room full of service providers and local agencies that serve community members raising children who fit under the umbrella of special education.

“This is absolutely amazing,” Lauren Tarzia, founder of Inclusive Together, said as attendees chatted with representatives from organizations including the New Canaan YMCA, New Canaan Mounted Troop and New Canaan Police Department.

“This is something we’ve been wanting to do for a while,” Tarzia said. “We’ve partnered with the library since they’ve been so supportive of all of our initiatives.”

The co-organizers wanted to bring together families with children who are served by a wide range of services “because really there is no tight-knit community of parents or caregivers like this.”

“And also it’s an opportunity for our resources that are here today, to network and get to know each other and see how they can help one another get the word out about their resources,” she added. “There are therapists here—speech-language therapists, occupational therapists—the New Canaan YMCA is here promoting their inclusive support programs. There are different centers here who provide therapy and testing and other types of educational services. There are even people here who have resources for finding a special education advocate or a special education attorney to help them navigate the special education world. We have the New Canaan Police Department here who are promoting their new training that they have for autism and how to interact with our residents who have autism in a safe way.”

She referred to the Linked Autism Safety Project, created two years ago by the mother of a child on the autism spectrum who realized that there was a lack of understanding of the neurodiverse community within emergency management services. New Canaan Police Officer Kelly Coughlin distributed information about Linked and interacted with attendees—more than 75 registered—during the two-hour event. 

The New Canaan Police Department keeps a database through Linked for residents who are non-verbal or may have limited communication abilities (sign up here then email Coughlin at kelly.coughlin@newcanaanct.gov, including a photo, or call 203-594-3500 to be added to the local Linked database). Linked has provided sensory bags for NCPD police cruisers to include items such as fidget toys, a white board with markers and noise-canceling headphones.

Chrissy Khachane, a New Canaan mom of three kids in the public schools here, including one receiving accommodations through the special education program, said Back to School Together “is helping bring an elevated conversation in our community that there’s space for, and a need for.”

She added: “Not only bringing together community members who are raising children who fit under the umbrella of special education, but bringing together partners that are within our local and surrounding community that make that happen. Beyond that, it’s also opening up a space here in a local institution, our library, and changing our narrative a little bit about how they can be useful in our community.”

Khachane added that she herself discovered new resources at the event and connected with others.

“My children are a little bit older, so it’s also connecting with families who have children that are younger than mine, who are going through things that I can share expertise or experience with,” she said.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi said that Back to School Together was “a wonderful opportunity for our team of dedicated administrators to connect with families and answer questions about the support services we offer across the district.”

“We are deeply committed to making sure every child feels supported, valued, and included, and events like this help strengthen the important partnership we share with the families and community of New Canaan,” Luizzi said in a statement.

Felicia Alford, director of volunteers, community outreach and special projects at New Canaan Mounted Troop said that as one of those featuring their organizations at a long table in the Jim & Dede Bartlett Auditorium that she was “providing information for local families on different programs that are here for our special needs community in New Canaan.”

“For us it’s great,” she said. “We are an 86-year-old nonprofit that has a horsemanship program as well as a therapeutic program, and today we’re here talking about our therapeutic program and sharing it with the community.”

Allyson Mahoney, a speech and language therapist who works as director of Bram Speech and Language Consultants—a private practice that serves people from birth to adulthood with speech and language therapy—said Back to School Together helped spread awareness and that she has herself made professional connections. 

“It’s been nice to meet other people who work with a similar population,” Mahoney said.

Held in the Tate Room and Children’s Room, the Back to School Together workshops included “Bridging the Gap: Parents and Schools Working Together” from NCPS special education administrators, “From Struggle to Strength: Tools to Support Your Child with Learning Differences” from Superpower Mentors, and “Make Your Own Social Stories” with Pamela Smith.

“They’re really special,” Tarzia said of the workshops. 

Asked about “social stories,” Tarzia said they’re “amazing resources for a parent and a child so that they can really know the who, what, and where before they go to an event or before they do something new.”

She continued: “And it takes away all that anxiety that goes with doing something like that.”