For some, Halloween means navigating dark streets, climbing porch steps, and collecting candy door to door. For others, however, these traditions can turn a night of excitement into a challenge.
Wayland residents Lauren Lewis and Lindsey Carapezza hope to change that with an inclusive trick-or-treat event designed to help children and adults with disabilities experience the joy of Halloween in a more accessible environment.
Lewis and Carapezza are organizing the event at the Tally Ho Lane and Red Barn Road, off Concord Road, from 4–5:30 p.m. on Halloween.
The gathering will feature a flat, accessible route, treats available at the ends of driveways, and alternatives to traditional candy, including sensory tools, fidgets and allergy-friendly food options. Organizers are also going to limit sensory triggers, such as flashing lights.
“We’re trying to just reduce as much of that as we can while still bringing the joy of trick-or-treating and Halloween to anyone who wants to attend,” Lewis said.
Lewis and Carapezza are the founders of Navigation Education Partners, an organization created to help families move through the special education process. Both are speech-language pathologists and special education team chairs at public schools in Sudbury. After hearing about similar events in Sudbury, Carapezza saw an opportunity to bring inclusive trick-or-treating to her own neighborhood where flat terrain and paved roads make the neighborhood well suited for the gathering.
Karie Riefer, whose daughter has visual impairment and developmental delays, said these accommodations can make a significant difference.
Walking in the dark can be difficult and unsafe for her daughter, while long routes can be exhausting, she said. Much of the candy she collects is not something she can enjoy.
“An inclusive event allows my daughter to participate, feel included, and make happy Halloween memories without some of the barriers that can make traditional activities difficult,” Riefer wrote in an email. “These events are about so much more than candy — they’re about belonging, understanding, and making sure every child has the opportunity to feel the magic of Halloween.”
For the organizers, this event is also an opportunity to foster an understanding among children with and without disabilities. Their own children and other young volunteers will help with the festivity, creating a chance for participants to interact and build connections.
“The more that our neurotypical kids are exposed to kids with disabilities, the more accepting and normal it becomes,” Lewis said.
This story is part of a partnership between the Wayland Post and the Boston University Department of Journalism’s Newsroom program.
