LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Samantha Fields started her non-profit, A Different World Incorporated, in January. She connected with the Fayette County Extension Office to offer resources to families of children with autism and disabilities. Samantha's son Trayson was diagnosed with autism three years ago.
Fields says, "It’s just been a great journey so far I’m not gonna say it’s not been easy. It’s been very difficult at times because it's all new for me... but I think the one hardest thing out of all of the journey being so hard is there's limited resources for families and children here in Fayette County."
Now, families with kids of all ages can meet here once a month for planned sensory-friendly activities. Samantha says the non-profit’s goal is to provide support.
"'A Different World' is the journey that everyone's on. Everyone's journey is different. Not everyone's journey is the same. But we can share our journey with each other and have a group that we can come to talk to,” says Fields.
She says there are a lot of extra costs in raising a child with autism, from the therapy sessions to special equipment. "A Different World" provides families with additional supplies they may need. The extension office says these free events are a chance for families to learn from shared experiences.
The Fayette County Extension Office family and consumer science agent, Maranda Brooks, says, "A lot of times we're finding where parents are feeling that they are the only ones going through the experience. They are alone, they don't know who to connect with and need a one-stop-shop to go to then they can find that connection and go from there."
Over the past few months, Fields says she's seen parents from around the state feel comforted that their children have a space to be themselves, judgment-free. This organization wants to change the stigma around autism and disabilities and focus on what these children have to offer.
She says, "Bringing awareness to it, accepting that everyone is different and that it's okay to be different. We need to accept our differences and embrace them."
An organization working to be the change they want to see in school systems and in the world.
More information about "A Different World" can be found on social media and more information on events is available at the Fayette County Extension Office website.
