Accessible Charlotte

Accessible Charlotte We are a family lead organization trying to form community for disabled individuals in Charlotte NC!
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We’re excited to be a vendor at the 4th Annual Festival and Pop-Up Market for Autism run by Autistic Youth International...
05/19/2026

We’re excited to be a vendor at the 4th Annual Festival and Pop-Up Market for Autism run by Autistic Youth International

🗓 Saturday, June 6
⏰ 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
📍 SouthPark Christian Church (Charlotte)

This free, inclusive community event is designed by Autistic people to show what true inclusion looks like — with interactive zones, immersive experiences, and something for all ages.

✨ Plus, free books will be available for families as part of a goal to give away 2,000 inclusive books featuring Neurodivergent and Disabled characters (1,300 already distributed!)

Come out, support local vendors, and be part of something meaningful 💛

05/19/2026

Let’s give it up for our amazing Market vendors! 🎉
🛍️ Come eat, shop & play at Autistic Youth International’s 4th annual Festival & Pop-up Market for Autism!
🗓️ June 6
⏰ 10-1pm
📍SouthPark Christian Church

05/12/2026

✨ Spin! Wiggle! Jump! Dance! Stim! Play! ✨

The NEW Stim & Play Zone at the 4th Annual Festival and Pop-Up Market for Autism is a space custom designed by Autistics for movement, sensory exploration, regulation, and joyful free play.

Move the way your body wants to move!

🌈 Engage with movement equipment
💫 Wiggle, bounce, sway, and stim freely
🖐 Explore textures, sensory tools, and interactive activities
🌀 Reset, regulate, and recharge
🎨 Play without pressure or judgment
💙 Unmask and be yourself

This isn’t about “sitting still.”
It’s about creating a space where movement, sensory needs, and Neurodivergent joy are welcomed and celebrated.

Whether you love to move, explore, decompress, fidget, or simply experience the world differently — this space was made for you.

📍 SouthPark Christian Church – Charlotte, NC
📅 June 6, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
🎟 FREE admission

Come experience a festival built differently!

05/12/2026

🎨 Visit Our FREE Art Zone at the 4th Annual Festival and Pop-Up Market for Autism!

In partnership with Arts+, the Art Zone invites attendees to explore art and creative expression in a supportive and low sensory environment. Stop by for a welcoming space filled with creativity, imagination, and hands-on fun for all ages.

🗓 June 6, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
📍 SouthPark Christian Church, Charlotte NC

FREE sensory-friendly and inclusive community event!

05/12/2026

📚✨ HELP US REACH 2,000 INCLUSIVE BOOKS DONATED! ✨📚

Representation matters — and every child deserves books where they can see themselves reflected, celebrated, and included! 💛

At the 4th Annual Festival and Pop-Up Market for Autism, every donation helps Autistic Youth International continue donating inclusive books featuring Disabled, Autistic, and Neurodivergent characters throughout Charlotte-area communities.

🌟 Visit the Inclusive Book & Literacy Zone featuring:

📖 The first 100 kids & teens can shop for a FREE inclusive book
🪑 Cozy spaces to relax and read for all ages
🏰 Fairytale photo opportunity
🔇 Low sensory environment
💫 Completely FREE to enjoy

🗓 June 6, 2026
⏰ 10 AM – 1 PM
📍 SouthPark Christian Church (Charlotte)

Come celebrate Neurodiversity, literacy, community, and inclusion while helping us move closer to our goal of donating 2,000 inclusive books across our community! 📚


05/12/2026

Thank you, Mayor Lyles for honoring us by making our Neurodiversity Pride Day celebration an official day on the Charlotte calendar! 🎉🎉

05/07/2026

The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC), based in Canton, Massachusetts, is the only known institution in the U.S. that still uses electric shocks to control self-injury and aggression in those with autism, developmental and intellectual disabilities. They operate approximately 50 residential homes in nearby Massachusetts towns.

The FDA is finalizing a rule to finally ban them.

Electrical stimulation devices are used for a specific type of aversive shock therapy that delivers an “often-painful electric shock” to people exhibiting self-injurious or aggressive behavior.

Self-injurious behaviors can include head-banging, hand-biting or skin-picking. In severe cases, the behaviors may escalate to breaking bones, self-blinding or ingesting dangerous substances. Aggressive behaviors can involve assaulting other people, often seriously.

The therapy, which works by administering the shocks as punishment whenever such behaviors occur, often targets the highly vulnerable, including disabled children.

According to the FDA, the devices pose significant physical and psychological risks. They’re known to cause pain, burns, tissue damage, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

A 2007 investigation found that six children died at JRC in its 36-year history, prompting numerous lawsuits and government investigations into its use of the therapy.

If finalized, the rule would make it illegal to market or use electric shock devices for treating aggressive or self-injurious behavior. The ban would apply to both new and existing devices, though the FDA has suggested a transition period to allow patients to move to alternative treatments under medical supervision.

https://publichealthpolicyjournal.com/school-with-50-locations-uses-electric-shock-devices-on-autistic-children-the-fda-wants-to-ban-the-devices/

04/27/2026

The fire reportedly broke out on Friday, April 17, inside an office at the nonprofit’s facility on Wilkinson Boulevard.

Did you know Autistic Youth International ‘s upcoming Community Dinner is for everyone, not just adults who can sit stil...
01/11/2026

Did you know Autistic Youth International ‘s upcoming Community Dinner is for everyone, not just adults who can sit still! This sensory friendly event will have a buffet style dinner, silent auction, and is catered to everyone. Join us and on January 18th at 5:15 at Peninsula Prime in Lake Normal for a memorable night of inclusion and community celebration. Adults, wear business casual & have your kiddos in whatever is comfortable to them! We hope to see you there! Ticket link is in our bio (IG users) and in the comments below (Facebook users). Let’s help AYI put ANOTHER 1000 inclusive books out into our community where they’re needed most

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