Thursday, October 1, 2026
Siblings Helping Siblings — a Long Island-based nonprofit created by Roosevelt resident Maria Tejada — recently hosted its inaugural sensory-friendly family picnic on the lawn of the John J. Byrne Community Center in Uniondale, creating an inclusive space where children with disabilities and their families could enjoy a community outing at their own pace.
Several small details helped make the Aug. 30 afternoon more accessible for families, from quieter music to sensory toys such as rocks, sand and a sequin board that changed colors with a child’s touch.
The setting for the picnic was intended to reduce some of the noise, crowds and other stimulation that can make larger events overwhelming. About 30 people attended the picnic, making for a more intimate atmosphere.
Karen Brett, of Wantagh, who brought her 14-year-old son, Matthew, said events focusing on inclusion are opportunities her family seeks out.
“We only have one child, so any special-needs event, we’re there,” Brett said.
Matthew moved around the picnic area enjoying the activities he was offered, eventually settling on a favorite: face painting. The artist, special-education teacher Kristen Silveira, whom Matthew knows from Nassau BOCES, painted a large flower on his arm. His mother said they are also neighbors in Wantagh.
Brett explained that finding inclusive events can be difficult, and larger gatherings can be overwhelming for Matthew. At the picnic, he had room to enjoy himself, and his face lit up with a smile several times during the day. His mother said she hoped to find more inclusive events for him to enjoy.
“If there are more events, we would love it and go every weekend,” she said.
That experience is what Tejada hoped to create when she founded Siblings Helping Siblings. She began organizing inclusive events after experiencing similar challenges with her daughter, Sophia. She recalled that years ago, Sophia struggled in public places, making activities other families might take for granted difficult for hers.
“For a long time, we couldn’t go places with her,” Tejada said.
Going to a movie theater was especially difficult, so rather than continuing to search for environments that would work for Sophia, Tejada and her husband, Cesar, began thinking about creating their own inclusive spaces.
“I told my husband, ‘Why don’t we create our own event?’” she recounted. “And we brought people together for something small, and that’s how it started. Our mission is to support families.”
Silveira saw that firsthand. In about eight years of face painting, she has learned to work with children with disabilities. It takes patience, she said, and a willingness to follow the child's lead.
Some children sat still as she painted their faces or arms with flowers, fictional characters or food, such as cupcakes or ice cream cones. Others were hesitant about having paint on their skin and wiped it off. One girl decided she would rather hold Silveira's brush and paint her own face while looking in a mirror, which Silveira clearly enjoyed.
“I would say you have to have a lot of patience,” she said. “Some of them sit very still. Some are scared, some of them will wipe off the paint, and if that happens, it’s OK. It all depends on the child. They may all have autism, but every child is different.”
In addition to this picnic, Siblings Helping Siblings has hosted annual Easter egg hunts, magic shows, movie nights and other programs since its founding four years ago.
That flexibility extended across the lawn, where children moved among the sensory table, jumping in a bounce house or meeting Salvatore Farieri, creator of the children's YouTube channel Zippity Zap.
Farieri arrived with Biggie, a mechanical dinosaur character that could rest on his arm. Some children recognized Farieri, including Sophia, who was at first shocked to see him.
Farieri, a father of two children, formerly worked as Sparky the Dragon, the New York Islanders' mascot. He created Zippity Zap nearly four years ago, when he missed the feeling of interacting with kids. As of press time, the channel has accrued more than 17,000 YouTube subscribers while producing over 140 videos.
Farieri's sons appear with him on the show, which uses educational songs, characters and objects. Farieri also focuses on learning through imagination, wearing a rainbow-colored “imagination band” and encouraging children to be whoever they want and teleport anywhere they wish if they put it on.
Farieri said he incorporates messages such as “I believe in myself” and “I can do hard things” into his programming. Parents have told him their children have begun repeating the phrases themselves.
“Every single child, whether they have a disability or not, should feel welcome,” he said. “Families reach out to me with kids who have disabilities and say they repeat what I say — I’m like, ‘Oh, wow!’”
For the picnic, Siblings Helping Siblings partnered with the Byrne Community Center, which has hosted the nonprofit group’s various inclusion programming since 2024.
