A Homecoming for All

The Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD) team took part in the Baylor homecoming tradition to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. BCDD faculty, staff, students, and adults with disabilities from the Waco community worked together to design and decorate a float for the historic BU homecoming parade. Kenny Davis, an autistic adult, stated, “Being able to help with the float allowed me to show my ability and not my disability.” The float’s theme, Flourishing Together, conveyed a message of hope for creating communities in which people of all abilities live, learn, work, and worship together as one body. With crowds cheering, the BCDD team traveled the nearly two-mile parade route carrying signs with messages like, “Worship Together,” “We all Belong,” and “Work Together.” The experience showcased the spirit of community and collaboration embodied by the Center. Jimmy Moreno, a Waco native, said, “It was definitely an honor and a privilege to be asked to participate in the parade with the BCDD. I kind of felt like a movie star rolling in my wheelchair through the streets. Not only were people clapping for our group of friends, but I also kept hearing my name being yelled out by people attending the parade. It felt great being included!” Kenny said he felt like people had a chance to see how much Baylor does alongside and in support of people with disabilities. “I felt like I belonged there with everyone else and I felt important as well.”

The BCDD also partnered with Baylor Marketing and Communications to host Baylor’s first Sensory Room at the Mark and Paula Hurd Center during Homecoming Weekend. The room offered a safe and less stimulating environment for people with disabilities and their families, and others who preferred a more sensory-friendly space. The room was equipped with items and activities that promoted relaxation, reduced stress/ anxiety, and helped people regulate their sensory input. However, the room also met the needs of people without disabilities. It served as a quiet, resting place for young children needing to escape the busyness of homecoming festivities. The room was filled with comfy spaces, weighted blankets, fidgets, coloring activities, headphones, sensory items, low-playing relaxation music, and more. Parents also used the room to let their babies crawl around for a little bit to get their wiggles out. More than 60 people of all ages and abilities benefitted from this space. Kenny said, “The sensory room gave me a place to recenter myself when I got disregulated without having to leave campus.” The Center was excited to collaborate with others to ensure Baylor Homecoming Weekend was welcoming for all alumni and their families. We even topped off the weekend with a win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. We are grateful for all our BCDD friends and family who helped make this Homecoming and 10-year anniversary so special. Sic ‘em!