Invitation help, please!

[Erin1700]

My DD is going to have her 8th bday party at a gymnastics center. There is a little girl in her class who is in a wheelchair. My DD said she sometimes uses a walker. We would love to have her be able to participate in the party.

Do I just send a regular invite, or put a note on it asking the parents to call before hand so we can talk about how to meet her needs? I would hate for them to just not come thinking that we had not planned to include her.

I realize she may not be able to do everything but we can be sure there are activities for her!

Your thoughts??

 

[js]

Why don't you write on her invitation exactly what you just typed.
Say we would love for her to come and please give me a call so we can best figure out her needs to participate comfortably at the party.
Maybe before you send out the invitations, call the gymnastics center and see what they can do for the child before you speak to the mom.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

I would include the note. I'm sure there will be activities she can participate in, but if the gymnastics coaches handling the party know about her needs ahead of time, they can plan things to better include her.

 

[L107ANGEL]

I would include the note. I'm sure there will be activities she can participate in, but if the gymnastics coaches handling the party know about her needs ahead of time, they can plan things to better include her.

Bingo!!! I have a friend whos DD only has one leg and one arm. She plays soccer and has been training to ski in the paralympics, quite frankly I am honored to watch this amazing child grow to be the inspiration she has become to so many.
Happy birthday to your DD OP!

 

[clh2]

Why not just call the parent? It sounds so much more personal than a note. Although a note would work as well.

 

[famofsix]

I would call the gym and ask what activites/accomadations are made for a child with her needs and then send the invite. When the parents RSVP you can answer any questions/issues they may bring up. This way the child is just like any other kid invited to a party.

 

[SueM in MN]

I would call the gym first and ask a few questions about access for a child using a wheelchair. I would ask a few specific questions - such as, is the entrance level with no steps/is there a wheelchair accessible bathroom.

My DD uses a wheelchair (can't walk) and we sometimes still run into buildings that are not accessible (especially older buildings). And, we have sometimes been told a building is accessible when there is one step to get in (the people on the phone who said it was accessible didn't consider one step to be a problem).
My DD did take gymnastics classes for a while (the instructor worked on more stretching type things with her). I would ask the gym if they have any instructors who have worked with kids with special needs. If they do, ask to speak to that person and whether it would be OK for you to give their name/phone number to that child's mom. Since you don't know exactly what the child's capabilities are, the gym people may tell you about accessible things they have done for others that would not be accessible for the child you are inviting.

I like what was written by js:

Say we would love for her to come and please give me a call so we can best figure out her needs to participate comfortably at the party.

If you have a specific contact person at the gym, I would include that in the invitation. Otherwise include the phone number for the gym so the mom can call them directly if she wants.
I would have been really happy to get an invitation like that.