Join host Project: Just Like You, a non-profit celebrating the amazing lives of people with special needs, for an evening of celebration, education, socializing, and fun on Sunday evening, December 3, from 6-8 pm. Event is free with a $10 suggested donation.

The Children's Museum of Richmond (Central location) will be host to Richmond's first celebration of Disabilities Day! Why should you join us?

Awesome guests! We’ve discovered so many organizations, caregivers, and people within the world of special needs. Many leaders of these non-profit groups will be present, so this event is also a great opportunity to meet them in-person and get support for your family or learn how you can help to support their cause. Also, watch local Richmond celebs share their message of inclusion!

Kids and families welcome! We are over-the-moon-excited about our partnership with the Children’s Museum of Richmond for this event, because they provide a child-friendly venue, where kids of all ages have a safe place to play while we celebrate. (Volunteers are needed to help supervise! Contact us if you know someone who can help!)

Learn something! Meet someone! We're going to get social up in here! Learn quick and easy ways that you can support inclusion at home and work! Enjoy light refreshments as we learn about what Richmond is doing for people with special needs! Sponsors from the Commonwealth will be on-site to answer questions about Virginia services. Join our new social media campaign to promote inclusion!

Watch our film! The celebration will also feature the release of a new (3-5 minute) short film made for Project: Just Like You. Our film is designed to spread awareness by showcasing more than 30 children sharing their interests and hobbies. Some are neuro-typical, some have special needs, some speak in different languages at home, some have machines or siblings who speak for them, but ALL are children, deserving of love, respect, dignity, and care.

Molly Korte, the founder of Project: Just Like You, will explain the history and vision of the film. Hear from the video’s producer, Lauren Costable of Visual Energy Entertainment, about the amazing kids and adults who starred in the video.

Celebrate our birthday! Project: Just Like You wouldn’t be anywhere without you. Your contributions, support, and stories have kept us going for more than a year now! September 25 was our first anniversary with Project: Just Like You, but we had too much going on to stop and celebrate! Now’s our chance to say thank you and look back on all that you’ve helped us accomplish. Our future is bright and together we are getting closer to our mission!

Celebrate Jacob’s birthday! Every parent of a child with special needs probably wonders at some point if they’ll have a typical childhood. Project: Just Like You was created with the very transparent hope that we could help to blaze a trail of inclusion to prepare the world for our own son, Jacob, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Life with Jacob is a joy and source of pride for our family, and we’re delighted that his 3rd birthday falls on such a special day! (No, Jacob doesn’t need any birthday gifts, but maybe consider a donation in his name to Project: Just Like You?)

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Project: Just Like You is leading RVA's response to the United Nations' call to celebrate a world disabilities day.

Since 1992, the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) has been celebrated annually on 3 December around the world. It's a day of acknowledgement of how far we've come and how much remains for people with disabilities. It's a day to celebrate inclusion and highlight the many organizations who support people with disabilities in various ways. If we can normalize inclusion around the world, people will no longer be "different" - just differently-abled.

The United Nations has made the call.

Richmond, WE are going to answer that call.

Our celebration event is free, but registration is required for headcount and planning purposes. Use this site to register. See you there!