Kicking Off Back to School: Community, Partnerships, and a Whole Lot of Joy

By Mel Sabin

A few days ago our Little Lobbyists Kansas Chapter held its first annual Back-to-School Bash, bringing together families and community members to celebrate our kids as they headed back to school, no matter where they were being educated or what grade they were entering.

Since I’ve worked with Little Lobbyists, I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in some pretty cool events our chapters have held all around the country. I mean…we’re kind of known for hosting events that center our kids, and cramming joy into every nook and cranny! This event was also personal for me.

My son, Logan, is six years old and just started kindergarten. This is my first time navigating public school as a parent. I just went through my first IEP assessment, our schedules have been overturned, to say the least, and I feel like for the first time in my life I’ve given up a lot of control over Logan’s waking hours. I’m also feeling like a fish out of water.

This is probably true for most parents. You walk into a new school year trying to figure out who everyone is, meet new families, navigate new schedules, and hope that the quick conversations you have at pickup or school events eventually turn into something more. But when your child has complex medical needs or a disability, sometimes there is another layer to that.

Logan is a wheelchair user. He communicates differently. He has a lot of medical and developmental needs that are simply part of our everyday life. Sometimes I wonder if other parents know how to approach us. Sometimes I don’t know how to approach them. And sometimes, whether intentionally or not, it can feel like we are a little bit on the sidelines of the typical school community.

So, just over two weeks into the new school year, our Bash was exactly what I needed.

Walking in and seeing so many familiar faces was a really wonderful feeling. Some were friends we’ve known for years. Some were families I was meeting for the first time. There were parents who came specifically looking for resources, families who wanted to get more involved, and people who simply heard about the event and decided to stop by. Some probably came for the coffee and bubbles on their way somewhere else.

Most importantly, our kids got to just be kids.

Our children with complex medical needs and disabilities spend so much of their lives being talked about in terms of what they need. We talk about diagnoses, therapies, equipment, accommodations, IEPs, medical plans, and all of the things we have to coordinate to make sure our kids can participate. Those things matter, but they aren’t the whole story.

Our kids also have favorite things. They have big personalities. They have goals and dreams and things that make them laugh. They deserve back-to-school pictures and milestones and silly moments and bubbles and coffee shop mornings with their families. They deserve to be celebrated for who they are, and not reduced down to what we have to do to support them.

One of my favorite things about Little Lobbyists events is watching children with and without disabilities share those experiences together.

We intentionally design our events to be welcoming and accessible to everyone, and there is something incredibly beautiful about seeing that intention become so natural. Kids play together, blow bubbles, laugh, explore, and move from one activity to the next without anyone needing to stop and think about who has a disability and who doesn’t. The kids without disabilities aren’t there to help our kids, and our disabled kids aren’t there to teach anyone a lesson or serve as inspiration. They are simply children enjoying the same experience together.

And, of course, our wonderful partners.

Families like ours almost never operate in a silo. Behind our children are networks of physicians, therapists, nurses, educators, counselors, support groups, community organizations, family members, and advocates. Each person may be helping with a different piece of the puzzle, but together they become the network that helps our families navigate the world.

We’ve always been fortunate to have community partners at our events, but this time we had the opportunity to shine the spotlight on them. It was meaningful to see them interacting with families outside of the clinic, therapy room, office, or other places where we might normally encounter them. 

And they were in a setting to see our community differently, too. They saw kids playing and laughing, they met families they might not have encountered otherwise, and spent time with parents where the focus wasn’t addressing a challenge or a problem.

Perhaps one of my favorite parts, though, was watching the partners connect with each other.

They were learning about one another’s work, sharing ideas, and finding opportunities to collaborate. At a time when organizations are often competing for limited funding, resources, and exposure, it was really encouraging to see people come together around the shared goal of supporting children with complex medical needs and their families.

No single organization can meet every need. No single advocate can know every answer. And no family should have to figure everything out alone. When the people supporting our families know one another, share resources, and build relationships, everyone benefits.

Maybe that’s what I’ll remember most about this event. Looking around and realizing that all of these wonderful families, kids, advocates, and organizations were together in the same room.

I’m so excited to be a small part of the continued effort to build on this. If you want to partner with us on future events, or get involved with the Kansas Chapter, please reach out to us at kansas@littlelobbyists.org. 

Our partners for the event included: Ability KC, Autism Society of the Heartland, Bach to Rock Music School, The Brailled Bean, LEARN’s Geeks for Kids, I Can Therapy, JCDS Emerging Artists Program, Nerdterpreter, RestKC, Special Olympics Kansas, Spinning Tree Theatre, Variety KC, and We Are Brave Together. 

Mel Sabin is the State Outreach Manager for Little Lobbyists, helping our chapters with advocacy initiatives and events. She also is a State Lead for our Kansas Chapter.