Fit-N-Able

Fit-N-Able buddies’ individuals with Sanger’s First Responders to learn about each other and form community bonds through fitness.

Background:

People with developmental disabilities tend to react differently and get overwhelmed more easily than neurotypical individuals due to various sensory sensitivities. These factors, along with the communication challenges that are associated with these disorders, means that there is a lot of opportunity for confusion and actions that can be misinterpreted or can cause additional escalation during emergency situations.

These behaviors include things such as avoiding eye contact, being unsteady on their feet, appearing agitated or pacing, not complying with directions, and being sensitive to touch.

Purpose of Fit-N-Able:

• Provide support and understanding to the community of developmentally disabled persons of Sanger.
• Provide a safe place for developmentally disabled individuals to interact with first responders.
• Provide first responders with insight into how people with developmental disabilities respond and behave to stimuli.

• Bring specific attention to developmental disabilities in Sanger and how we, as a community, can support them.

• Provide a service that helps integrate a vulnerable population into society