GardenAbility with Jovial Concepts at Weaver Creek Park

Program Objective: Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities find purpose, dignity, and health through GardenAbility’s adaptive and accessible programs.

Unique Value Proposition: In the Jovial Concepts GardenAbility Program, participants explore nine acres of park and open space, featuring a labyrinth, sensory garden, orchard, walking path, and vegetable gardens. The program features a thoughtfully designed curriculum designed to maximize engagement, learning, and therapeutic value. Every session features a gardening activity, an art project, and a culinary activity. This is so much more than simply “community gardening.”

Join the Program

Are you or a loved one part of I/DD day program? Contact [email protected] to get your program started with GardenAbility.

Educational Philosophy:

The Jovial Concepts GardenAbility Program Provides:

  • Purpose and Meaning: We all need meaning and purpose in our lives. GardenAbility program participants find meaning and purpose as they nurture hundreds of pounds of produce from seed to harvest, donating the harvest to community food banks.

  • Holistic Benefits Mental,  Physical, and Emotional Wellness: Wellness is multi-dimensional. Each GardenAbility session features a gardening activity,  an art project, and a culinary activity. Gardening helps participants lower stress and anxiety, get gentle exercise, learn new skills, and find time and space to explore in a quiet, natural setting. Additionally, participant experiences overlap with the broader community as participants engage with neighbors walking their dogs, volunteers assisting with the program, or other Jovial gardeners.  

  • Accountability and Ownership: We believe Participants are talented and capable.  Participants practice ownership and responsibility by cooperatively overseeing the 16 GardenAbility garden beds. Each individual earns a “Leadership Badge” by taking ownership of a specific task in the garden, such as watering, composting, or taking care of tools.

  • Engagement: We all have different needs and interests. The GardenAbility program strives to offer something for everyone. Whether it’s regulating the nervous system in our Orchard or Sensory Garden, hand picking a bouquet of flowers from the Butterfly Garden, or getting hands in the dirt with good old fashioned vegetable gardening, participants can engage with the GardenAbility program in a way that works for them.

Impact & Skill Development

  • Adaptive Skills: Fine motor skills development, task sequencing, or routine building, basic use of hand tools, supervised power tool use where appropriate.

  • Social Inclusion: Community participation and team collaboration,  peer collaboration and bonding. 

  • Health & Wellness: Sensory regulation, nutritional education, emotion regulation, physical activity, basic culinary skills.

  • Meaning & Purpose:  Community service, higher purpose, ownership and accountability, spirituality.

  • Activity plans: Participants develop context and learning by engaging with thoughtfully structured lesson plans; they also enjoy find the freedom to explore the garden on their own terms.

Accessibility Features:

Mention if the program uses adaptive tools, wheelchair-accessible garden beds, or sensory-friendly environments.

ADA Accessible Restrooms

Sensory Garden

(coming in 2026)

Garden Bed Redesign for improved accessibility

(coming 2027)

Support the Program

The GardenAbility program is funded in part by generous donors like you.

Success Stories:

Brief testimonials from families or participants about the program’s impact on their daily lives.

“The garden has been my passion. My passion. The garden is awesome for me. I love it. I love to come here and pick some watermelon, squash, and tomatoes.”
– David, IDD Participant

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