The mission of the BlackRock Center for the Arts is to inspire the community to become involved in the arts. To this end, it has several theaters - with a performance arts season featuring music, dance, and theater; an exhibition gallery; and an education program featuring classes and summer camps for children (ages three and up) and adults. Classes are also available for children with developmental disabilities.

Classes include piano, creative movement, ballet/tap, hip hop, musical theater, guitar, music studies, art (painting, printmaking, paper collages, and more), and songwriting. Summer camps are half day, art exploration sessions for ages three to six, and full day for children entering grades two through eight. The older kids focus on the arts, creating a performance piece by the end of the camp.

The British Swim School offers swim classes to children from three months of age and up. The mission of the school is to teach every baby, toddler, child, and adult to become as safe and happy in the water as possible. To this end, children (and adults) learn to be comfortable in the water and learn survival skills, such as floating on their backs, in addition to learning swimming strokes. As students progress, lessons become more challenging and advance through the Masters level.

All locations are in Bally Total Fitness centers, which are both indoor and heated. Classes are offered, and private lessons can be scheduled, across a wide range of timeframes, which makes it easier to meet the needs of homeschoolers, preschoolers, and special needs children.

CREATE Arts Center is a non-profit organization offering arts classes, camps, parties, and special events for the general population, as well as art therapy and other art related activities for special needs clients.

CREATE's varied arts programs include such classes as Potluck Art, Cartooning, Drawing and Painting, Stone Carving, Teen Art Club, Bead & Jewelry Making, Stichery & Hand Sewing, and Pottery.

During school vacations CREATE offers spring, summer, and winter arts camps. Children participate in art, music, theater, and recreational activities, lead by professional artists/teachers who are experts in their field. Classes include such activities as clay, drawing, painting, stone carving, mask making, paper mache, sculpture, music, drama, book making, textiles, collage, and more.

Art therapy resources include arts classes for families with autistic children, after school arts programs for children at risk; and art therapy for patients in psychiatric and other facilities.

The Adaptive Services Division of the DC Public Library, a Network Library of the National Library Service (NLS), provides free access to library materials especially designed for those with low vision, blindness, or any type of physical disability which prevents them from reading normal printed materials.

Through the DC Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), books and magazines on cassette and in Braille, as well as audio equipment, are mailed straight to participants' doors, at no cost. Also available to eligible LBPH members are Print/Braille books, downloadable Web-Braille, downloadable digital audiobooks, and audio-described videos and DVDs. Together with Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, the LBPH offers a monthly Braille Book Club for Girls, in grades one through six.

Library Services to the Deaf Community offers a free American Sign Language program at beginning, intermediate, and conversational levels. American Sign Language storyhours for kids and their families are held monthly in the Children's Room, Room 200.

Please call Adaptive Services at 202.727.2142 for more information about exact times and dates for book clubs, storytimes, and classes.

The Adaptive Technology Training Center (ATTC) has computers equipped with screen reader, screen magnifier, scanner/reader, and other accessible software, as well as CCTVs and a demonstration collection of adaptive equipment. The ATTC offers basic tutoring on use of adaptive softwares through volunteer adaptive technology trainers. Saturday Technology Training Sessions provide an opportunity for those who use adaptive technology to share information and enjoy demonstrations of a variety of new adaptive equipment and websites.

Don't forget to check out the downloadable audiobooks, videos, and classical music available online through the DC Public Library website. Of special interest to kids is Tumblebooks, animated audio books with pictures that you can listen to online with your DC Public Library card.

The Adaptive Services Division is located on the 2nd Floor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. To find more information on the website, click on "Library Services" and then click on "Adaptive Services."

Expressive Therapeutic Movement provides therapeutic movement therapy for individuals with special needs. Individual, semi-private, and weekend group workshops are offered to integrate physical, emotional, cognitive, and social levels. Through movement and dance, individuals with mild to moderate disabilities including ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, and Smith Magenis Syndrome discover movement can be an "organizing" power and begin to discover a creative outlet for self-expression.

Expressive Therapeutic Movement provides therapeutic movement therapy for individuals with special needs. Individual, semi-private, and weekend group workshops are offered to integrate physical, emotional, cognitive, and social levels. Through movement and dance, individuals with mild to moderate disabilities including ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, and Smith Magenis Syndrome discover movement can be an "organizing" power and begin to discover a creative outlet for self-expression.

J. Hursey Consulting, which also provides families with psycho-educational assessment services, offers a small group reading intervention program for entering first graders. Designed and taught by a certified special educator/educational consultant, the goal of the program is to help struggling readers and writers get up to speed during the summer before 1st grade.

Kamston Kids Music provides two unique programs of music classes for infants and toddlers, where they can sing, dance, and explore instruments. It also offers sign language classes for children from birth through age two.

Lindamood-Bell is recognized as an effective treatment for learning difficulties, including the symptoms of dyslexia, AD/HD, hyperlexia, and autism.

The center works one-on-one with individuals ages five through adult. Lindamood-Bell offers diagnostic evaluations, individualized treatment programs to address the specific needs of its students, and community education events throughout the year.

Little Steps Music provides group and individual therapeutic treatment for developmentally delayed children and Music Together classes (for newborn through age six), an informal music education program for children and their families. In addition to these classes, private musical entertainment that follows the Music Together curriculum is available for parties.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped provides free access to library materials especially designed for those with low vision or blindness or any type of physical disability.

Through NLS' national network of regional libraries, books and magazines on cassettes and in braille, as well as audio equipment, are mailed straight to participants' doors, at no cost.

There are more than 245 Ronald McDonald Houses in 26 countries, offering support and practical assistance to families with very sick children. It's a safe bet that your local chapter can always use volunteers.

The SwimKids Swim School offers professional small group swim lessons for babies, toddlers, children, and adults year-round in indoor heated pools at several Virginia locations. Programs include SwimBabies (six months through three years of age), SwimTots (ages three to five), SwimKids (ages five and up), the competitive SwimStars, and a Special Needs swim lessons program.