Mec Disabilities

Hi everyone,

My name is Ashley Cook. I’m a board member and a Parent Advocate for MEC.

I started out going to Sensory Space with my Autistic son, Oliver, back in October 2023 when it opened. I had seen blurbs about their grand opening on Facebook and was curious to check it out and see if Sensory Space would be a safe and accepting place for my kiddo and myself to make more friends.

From the start I was really blown away by what Nikki Sanger and Jess Hawkins had created. We felt welcomed and included and important and loved from the start.

I was really worried about taking my son anywhere then. He was only semi verbal and mad a lot of screeching and squealing sounds everywhere we went. Nikki and Jess didn’t cause any fuss about it and Jess could even relate to my kiddo’s way of communication, having been through the same with her own Autistic son.

My son and myself through Sensory Space have found a place of community and belonging. My son finally has friends, he had his first birthday party, he even played his first sport (T-Ball), all by being involved with Sensory Space.

Nikki and Jess helped us get connected with better resources in our community. Thanks to them both my son now is seeing a doctor that helps advocate for my son, he’s with a better DSP organization, we’ve also found an OT place we love, and more.

Thanks to Nikki and Jess I’ve found that my true passion in life just isn’t working in Special Education but it’s advocating and supporting other parents and families like my own so they don’t have to hopefully face the hardships we’ve had to go through and that if they do they know their not alone in this world.

I was happy to accept a place on MEC’s board this summer and am very excited to be working with not only local families but families all over the states.

We moved here a year ago. We discovered Sensory Space when they did their Sensory Santa. I loved that my daughter didn't have to wait in line and got to visit with Santa in a quiet and welcoming room. We go to Sensory Space once a week. My daughter loves it there. I love that she can be herself and they are so welcoming. We are greeted with a smile and they call her by name. I have met friends there. It is great to meet other parents with kids with disabilities. I love the community here. My daughter had her birthday there. This was her first birthday with her friends. She has met great friends there.