Bloomington Resident Builds Sensory Mobile Museum for Children with Autism
Ryan Abbott has always had the dream of developing a mobile museum for children with special needs. His dream became a reality in 2019 when he created That Kid Place to accommodate younglings with sensory issues.
“My son is autistic and from the parent side of it I saw a need for sensory that was maybe more common sense or kid friendly,” Abbott told WGLT “There's a lot of medical and a lot of science to autism but there's also a lot of common sense too. I don't have to be a doctor to understand autism, I'm a parent. If I can take something I know how to do and use it to their benefit, it's what I'll do.”
The first mobile museum Abbott created in 2019 was called, Pile of Ship. He soon discovered that this version of his creation was not all inclusive. Disabled children in wheelchairs were unable to enter the museum. He went back to the drawing board and came up with a new and improved sensory friendly museum called, That Kid Place. Abbott’s second development is a wheelchair accessible, 26- foot trailer equipped with dual air conditioning. That Kid Place includes many mind blowing exhibits such as: Legos, a steampunk laboratory, laser drawing and a treehouse fort. These installations have been a big hit among all children that visited the museum.
“It’s hard for me to put that autism and special needs label on it,” Abbott expressed to WGLT. “You don’t have to be on the spectrum to benefit from sensory. I see kids really enjoying this stuff and they’re not on the spectrum at all.”
After Abbott’s day job at State Farm came to an end, he took a buyout and invested $70,000 into his own non profit organization. Abbott continues to raise money to promote development of his projects.
“It does feel so good when the kids go in it and you see it working like you hoped it would work. Every $100 donated is an hour of museum time. I found a way to offer my services for basically nothing.” Abbott declared to WGLT.
These donations play a huge role in helping Abbott travel with the museum at an affordable rate. He is making his creation available by request for birthday parties and school outings. Abbott’s admirable goal is to build at least two more mobile museums with a variation of themes.
“2020 has already taken off and I'm literally one guy. I’m going to let it grow into what it wants to do. I don't want to be the person that holds it back either.” Abbott explained to WGLT.
If all goes well, Abbott plans to put That Kid Place in a permanent location. He has received support from many patrons, and we hope his vision continues to be successful!