Siblings Helping Siblings a Long Island based nonprofit, hosted its inaugural sensory-friendly family picnic last Sunday on the lawn of the John J. Byrne Community Center in Uniondale, creating an inclusive space where children with disabilities and their families could enjoy a community outing at their own pace.
Small details helped make the afternoon more accessible, from quieter music to sensory toys such as rocks, sand and a sequin board that changed colors with a child’s touch.
The setting for the picnic was intended to reduce some of the noise, crowds and other stimulation that can make larger events overwhelming. About 30 people attended, which made for an intimate atmosphere.
Karen Brett, of Wantagh, brought her 14-year-old son, Matthew. Events focusing on inclusion are opportunities the Brett family seek out.
“We only have one child, so any special-needs event, we’re there,” Karen said.
Matthew moved around the picnic, enjoying the activities he was offered. He eventually settled on a favorite: face painting. The artist, special-education teacher Kristen Silveira, whom Matthew knows from Nassau BOCES, painted a large flower on his arm. His mother said they are also neighbors in Wantagh.
She explained that finding inclusive events can be difficult, and larger gatherings can be overwhelming for Matthew. At the picnic, he had room to enjoy himself, and a smile lit up his face several times during the day. His mother said she hoped to find more inclusive events for him to enjoy.
“If there are more events, we would love it, and go every weekend,” she said.
That experience is what Siblings Helping Siblings founder Maria Tejada hoped to create when she founded the organization four years ago. Tejada, of Roosevelt, began organizing inclusive events after experiencing similar challenges with her daughter Sophia Tejada. She recalled that, years ago, Sophia struggled in public places, making activities other families might take for granted difficult for hers.
“For a long time, we couldn’t go places with her,” Tejada said. Going to a movie theater was difficult. Rather than continuing to search for environments that would work for Sophia, Tejada and her husband, Cesar Tejada, began thinking about creating their own.
“I told my husband, ‘Why don’t we create our own event?’” she recounted. “And we brought people together for something small, and that’s how it started. Our mission is to support families.”
Silveira saw that firsthand. In eight or so years of face painting, she has learned to work with children with disabilities. It takes patience, she said, and a willingness to follow the child’s lead.
Some children sat still as she painted their face or arms with flowers, fictional characters or food, such as cupcakes or ice cream cones. Others were hesitant about having paint on their skin, and wiped it off. One girl decided she would rather hold Silveira’s brush and paint her own face while looking into a mirror, which Silveira clearly enjoyed.
“I would say you have to have a lot of patience,” she said. “Some of them sit very still. Some are scared, some of them will wipe off the paint, and if that happens, it’s OK. It all depends on the child. They may all have autism, but every child is different.”
That flexibility extended across the lawn, where children moved among the sensory table, jumping in a bounce house or meeting Salvatore Farieri, creator of the children’s YouTube show “Zippity Zap.”
Farieri arrived with Biggie, a mechanical dinosaur character that could rest on his arm. Some children recognized Farieri, including Sophia, who was at first shocked to see him.
Farieri, a father of two and a former mascot, Sparky the Dragon, of the New York Islanders, created a YouTube site nearly four years ago, when he missed the feeling of interacting with kids.
His sons appear with him, and the show uses educational songs, characters and objects. Farieri also focuses on learning through imagination, wearing a rainbow-colored “imagination band” and encouraging children to be whoever they want and teleport anywhere if they put it on.
Farieri said he incorporates messages such as “I believe in myself” and “I can do hard things” into his programming. Parents have told him their children have begun repeating the phrases themselves.
“Every single child, whether they have a disability or not, should feel welcome,” he said. “Families reach out to me with kids who have disabilities and say they repeat what I say — I’m like, ‘Oh, wow!’”
The picnic was held in partnership with Siblings Helping Siblings and the Byrne Center, which provided the space for the event and has hosted SHS’s inclusion programming since 2024.
What began as one family’s search for an inclusive place where a child could be comfortable has become a series of gatherings that families can enjoy without wondering whether their child belongs.
