Caring Santas adapt visits

Caring

eral in Austin) launched a “Caring Santa Program,” which began in 2010 with a Caring Bunny for Easter.

Of 180 Simon malls with a Santa photo concession this year, 80 of them will feature Caring Santa events, up from 50 in 2011. Locally, Lakeline Mall hosts a Caring Santa at 10 a.m. Sunday (reservations can be made at abilitypath.org). The event is set up to support the sensory, physical and other demands of special-needs kids.

Jean Plew, who directs Simon’s Christmas activities, explains how the event differs from a typical mall Santa visit.

“It’s much more intimate; we suppress a lot of the mall environment,” she says. “We put the lights down. It’s done when stores are closed so you don’t have all the mall traffic. We turn down the music. We turn off all the water because for certain kids water is an attraction. We turn off any escalators that are close to the set so that they’re not a temptation and we don’t have that noise.”

Event workers also prepare the children. They might provide soft seating in place of a long line, let kids color while they wait and tell them a story that describes what’s going to happen during the visit. Although the program began in response to autism and other cognitive disabilities, it has attracted a diverse audience.

“When we first did it, we were kind of knocking on the autistic community’s door, but we’re seeing kids with spina bifida, we’re seeing kids with Down Syndrome, we’re

Marty Barnes, left, Tim Barnes and Casey Barnes pose with Santa and his elf at the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services holiday party in 2010.