Thursday, October 20, 2011

Author Offers Advice on Halloween Costumes Challenges for Children with Disabilities


Edmonton, AB- Creating a Halloween costume for your little one that will work in any weather situation can be trying. But parents of children with disabilities may face additional challenges. Author Alison Neuman wants to remind parents Halloween can be a great time to encourage inclusiveness while being creative. Every child wants to take that night to dress up and take on another identity and, of course, reap the candy rewards!

“Halloween is such a magical time for children (Halloween inspires imagination and dreams just like in Ice Rose) it’s one of the reasons I wrote Ice Rose. Halloween; just like reading allows kids to take on someone else’s persona, it allows kids to take on a new identity altogether,” explains Neuman. “Really, the possibilities for costumes are endless! In fact, a child in a wheelchair may have an even greater opportunity for a fabulous costume, as the wheelchair itself can be decorated in any number of ways. A wheelchair can be a throne, a racecar, or even better, they can be Professor Xavier from X-Men! A child with a service dog can also dress that pup up to match their costume.”

Neuman also notes that when creating costumes for children with disabilities – as with all children – it’s important to keep safety in mind.  For children in wheelchairs or with crutches it’s important not to have a lot of fabric hanging down that could get caught in motors or wheels. Parents of children with visual impairments should be especially careful that costumes don’t obscure vision – opting for face paint rather than masks.

Adapting a costume idea for a child with special needs may take more planning, but it’s well worth it. Samples of some ingenious options can be found here: http://blog.amsvans.com/1306-15-halloween-costumes-for-wheelchairs/

To view Alison’s media kit visit http://www.alisonneuman.ca/blog/media-kit/

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To book an interview contact:
Rachel Sentes, Publicist
604-366-7846
Rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com

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