Creative Discovery Museum will encourage guests to explore the exhibit Kids Like You, Kids Like Me and experience how all children are more alike than they are different. The exhibit will be featured at the Museum from September 18 through November 7. With the theme “A Day in the Life of a Child with a Disability,” the exhibit features hands-on simulations within school and home settings.

In this exhibit, kids get a chance to ask the questions they always wanted to ask and learn more about people with disabilities without feeling embarrassed. Children will have an opportunity to use assistive technology designed to help those with disabilities complete everyday tasks. Some of the activities include playing basketball and navigating a multi-surface track in a wheelchair, mastering a computer without the use of hands, and asking for a favorite meal without speaking.

The exhibit attempts to shed light on relating to people with disabilities in familiar settings where kids would naturally interact with one another, such as in a classroom or on a playground. “We can talk to kids all day long about the things we want them to know, but unless the information we give kids fits their need to know, it may not be meaningful,” states Dr. Jayne Griffin, the Museum’s Director of Education about how Kids Like You, Kids Like Me helps break down social barriers often due to children’s lack of understanding in unfamiliar situations. “So giving kids permission to ask questions about things they don’t understand is a wonderful way to promote awareness.”

Kids will also have an opportunity to meet people with disabilities. On October 21, special guests will bring adaptive equipment to answer kids’ curiosity about technology and devices that help people with disabilities accomplish everyday tasks. On October 22, artists with disabilities will demonstrate how they find creative ways to enjoy their hobbies. Kids will also have the opportunity to learn more about therapy animals on October 23. They will meet specially trained animals and find out how the animals provide important services for people with disabilities.

Creative Discovery Museum offers a Kids Like You, Kids Like Me school tour free of charge to classes in grades K-5. Call 423-756-2738 for more information.

Kids Like You, Kids Like Me is a partnership between Creative Discovery Museum and Siskin Children's Institute. The exhibit and related programs are sponsored by Unum and Chattanooga Times Free Press.