On Dec. 6, 2016, Liberty Science Center celebrated another great Special Needs Day, as more than 1,800 special needs students, families and teachers came to the Science Center for a day filled with fun, STEM-focused activities.

Although the Science Center features experiences for guests of all ages and stages of learning every day, our Special Needs Days offer an entire day of science learning tailored to special needs classes.

Two of our programs, Fish Feeding Frenzy and Animal Encounter, were interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL) by Exhibition Leader Alison Walminski.

We also debuted two new extra-festive labs: Ginger Endoscopy, where guests get to explore the inside of a gingerbread house with an endoscope, and Snowman Robotics, where guests assemble cubelets into snowmen and help them move around while avoiding different obstacles.

To accommodate our guests, we expanded our lunch space to provide more access to wheelchairs. Additionally, the AV team reduced the volume and the projectionist provided more lighting in our theaters.

Earlier this year, LSC updated our hearing accessibility equipment in our theaters and demonstration areas.

LSC’s Special Needs Days were inspired by Patrick Murphy, an autistic 11-year-old who submitted the winning entry for the Liberty Science Center “Earth Saving Super Powers” contest, open to all students across the NJ/NY area six years ago. His success led LSC staff to consider how the institution could help students such as Patrick.

To see more photos from Special Needs Day 2016, including great pictures from our friends at The Phoenix Center in Nutley, head over to our Facebook album.

Animal Encounter,  Eat and Be Eaten,  holiday,  sign language,  Special Needs Day