Reporter
leeanna.maharaj@guardian.co.tt
A mother’s dream of creating inclusive play for her son has given birth to T&T’s first sensory play park.
The Sensory Safari in Cocorite was officially launched in January 2026, and according to its founder, Marie Simonet, while the vision began with the arrival of her son, the seed was planted many years before.
“It actually all started with my sister, Henriette, who has autism. She’s 31 years old, and we’re six years apart. So, from very young, I was exposed to different abilities,” Simonet recalled.
Simonet explained that she often participated in sibling workshops and occupational training, because she always felt the calling to work with differently-abled children. That calling extended even into motherhood.
“Many years later, I had my son in 2019, and a couple months later, we found out that he was blind,” she shared.
But that diagnosis only made her vision clearer.
“I love to be able to think differently, be creative. So the fact that I’ve never worked with someone that was blind, never until my son came and I just had to think, how am I going to reach him? And it just made me sit and think. I had been exposed to different resources and play areas abroad. So, I said, okay, Trinidad needs this. This is where I’m living, and this is where he’s living. I need to be able to recreate this for not just him, but many others like him and my sister that need to be included,” she reflected.
Six years later, that idea has become a reality. The facility is up and running, and her son, Luka, is already benefiting from it.
“He gets all these different sensory needs met inside of the space, you know, between ziplining, sliding, jumping, swinging. When he comes here, the first place he goes is the trampoline and he can bounce there for hours,” Simonet noted.
However, he’s not the only one enjoying the facility.
The space was designed for both neurodivergent and non-neurodivergent children under the age of 12.
“It’s just a system that really caters where one fits all, and I feel like there’s so many people, even people that are not on the spectrum that think differently and still are missed and need to be reached, you know. So I love the fact that I had that opportunity to have a son that’s blind, that helps to motivate me. He gives me that drive to think differently and communicate differently with everyone,” she added.
According to occupational therapist, Dr Tara Riley sensory spaces like these can help with the development of anyone, regardless of their age and background.
“When we think about the development of a child, or anybody really, and learning new skills, all sensory information is what helps you learn a new skill,” Riley explained.
Speech-language pathologist Donnella Rodriguez also highlighted the role movement and play can have in encouraging communication and language development in children.
“A space like this really incorporates movement. Movement and play really lend to language development and children being able to interact with their parents, with other pairs that come in, it’s just a natural way of encouraging communication. Whether a child is intimidated or quote unquote shy, this lends to a natural social communication setting because a child is able to communicate with their peers.”
