Special Families Network

06/15/2026

We're pleased to invite you to the next session in our Hope in Practice Learning Series, a webinar designed to equip families, caregivers, and professionals with practical tools and renewed encouragement.

Event Details
Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Time: 5:00 – 6:00 PM (PT)
Format: Virtual Webinar
Cost: Free

What You'll Learn
Our featured speaker will guide participants through a range of topics, including:
• Understanding children's sleep needs at different stages
• Navigating common sleep challenges with confidence
• Moving from bedtime battles to consistent, restful routines
• The connection between sleep, stress, and overall family wellbeing
• Evidence-based sleep support strategies for both children and parents

About The Speaker
Lara Elfstrand — Certified Pediatric Sleep Interventionist

Lara is a nationally recognized sleep specialist whose work sits at the intersection of science and compassion. With advanced training in pediatric sleep, trauma-informed care, infant mental health, and positive behavioral supports, she has spent her career helping children with special needs and their families find their way from exhaustion to equilibrium. Her family-centered approach makes complex research accessible and genuinely actionable.

Who Should Attend
This webinar is a valuable resource for families, caregivers, educators, clinicians, service providers, and community members who support children with special needs.

We look forward to sharing this time with you. Better sleep, and brighter days, are within reach.

Hope Services
Transforming lives through Hope since 1952

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ta4_nzopQe-1X5SCo43b7w #/registration

06/10/2026

Hurray for SJC!!!

Every traveler deserves to feel comfortable taking flight💙

That's why we're excited to announce The Nest by Nutanix, a new sensory-friendly room coming this winter. This space will be designed to to help children with autism and other sensory sensitivities feel more comfortable and confident while traveling.

We're proud to partner with Nutanix and Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose to make travel more accessible for all. Learn more: flysanjose.com/news-release/sensory-room

04/21/2026

Lets go!!!

SPECIAL NEEDS MORNING AT COLOR ME MINE DALY CITY

Color Me Mine Daly City is pleased to offer a Special Needs Morning on Sunday, April 26 from 9:00–11:00 AM.

This event is designed especially for children with special needs, along with one caregiver or family member per child, to enjoy a quieter and more supportive painting experience before the studio opens to the public.

During this time, the studio will be open specifically for registered children with special needs and one accompanying caregiver, creating a calm and welcoming environment where children can explore creativity at their own pace.

To help make this event more accessible, we will be waiving our $12 studio fees for the morning.

A $10 deposit is required to reserve your spot, and that amount will be applied toward the ceramic piece you choose to paint that day.

To keep the environment comfortable for everyone, space is limited to 16 children (each with one caregiver).

If you know a family who might benefit from this experience, please feel free to share this opportunity with them.

RSVP @ https://dalycity.colormemine.com/special-needs-morning-april-19/

04/20/2026

Many Californians rely on emotional support animals and/or service animals to assist them with their disability related needs. Unfortunately, many tenants and landlords are unaware of the laws and regulations governing these assistance animals. On Tuesday, April 28 from 1 to 2 p.m., join Disability Rights California for a free webinar, Know Your Rights: Support Animals in Housing. In this session, attendees will discuss Californians’ rights to have assistance animals in their homes because of their disabilities. Spanish interpretation will be offered. Click the link below to register:
https://bit.ly/4834O0z.

03/22/2026

🥲🥲🥲🥲😭😭😭😭😭💙💙💙💙💙🥲🥲🥲🥰🥰🥰🥰

03/01/2026

It can be confusing for individuals with disabilities, businesses, transit providers, and the public to know what rights a person with a disability has under which law, in which places, and what’s required. Join Northeast ADA Center and K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability for a free webinar, Is That a Service Animal? What Rights Apply Where, on Tuesday, March 3 from 10 to 11 a.m. (PT). This session will define service animals and assistance animals, and clarify the regulations regarding where they are allowed and where they are restricted. Click the link below to register:
https://bit.ly/4rtRObA.

02/26/2026

I love this!

An outing is what adults with intellectual disabilities get to go on.

Think about that.

You and I go out for dinner. We meet friends for coffee. We travel. We live our lives. No one calls it an outing. It’s just Tuesday. It’s just life.

But if when adults with intellectual disabilities leave their home with support staff, suddenly it becomes an “outing.” The word shrinks the moment. It turns ordinary citizenship into a special event.

Language tells the truth about what we believe.

If we truly believe in diversity, then people with intellectual disabilities aren’t visitors at the table, they belong there.

If we believe in inclusion, their voices aren’t managed, they matter.

If we believe in belonging, their choices aren’t scheduled, they are respected.

And if we believe in adulthood, then going to a movie, a protest, a date, a job, a concert, or a grocery store isn’t an outing.

It’s living.

Sometimes the smallest words reveal the biggest assumptions.
..

ID: Text reads: DIVERSITY is having a seat at the table, INCLUSION is having a voice, BELONGING is having that voice be heard, and an OUTING is something only adults with intellectual disabilities get to go on. Drawings next to the key words show people doing those things, sitting at table, speaking into megaphone, talking to another person, going out in a van on an outing.

02/24/2026

💙

Supporting Vulnerable Community Members 💙

Project Guardian is a San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office program that supports loved ones and caregivers of vulnerable community members, including those with autism or dementia.

This confidential registry allows participants to share helpful information, including communication preferences, triggers, calming strategies and emergency contact information so our deputies can better understand individual needs and respond with greater awareness.

Project Guardian is open to community members who live within the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, which includes the unincorporated areas of San Mateo County and the cities of Half Moon Bay, Millbrae and San Carlos and the towns of Portola Valley and Woodside.

Participants will receive confirmation of their enrollment and a Project Guardian sticker for their home and vehicle.

Learn more and register: smcsheriff.com/project-guardian

02/19/2026

✨TOMORROW✨⁠
⁠
Medi-Cal Waivers with Disability Rights California⁠ ()⁠
Learn about Medi-Cal Waivers and Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), including eligibility, available services, and participant rights.⁠
⁠
📅Thursday, February 19, 2026⁠
⏰6:00 PM – 7:30 PM⁠
🔗Register: https://forms.gle/xiahiGVn5RohFesJ9
⁠
For more info: Diana | [email protected] | (818) 677-5575⁠
⁠

02/18/2026

💙🙌👏🥲