When Colin Hirsch was teaching special education in the Federal Way school district, he often found it difficult to find places where he could safely bring his class for field trips.

Many students had specific needs, risks or accessibility issues, and typical field trip destinations were challenging.

These experiences and his love of teaching sparked his inspiration to open a franchise location of We Rock the Spectrum Gym, located at 34930 Enchanted Pkwy. S., Suite 180, Federal Way.

On the surface, it looks similar to other gyms or playplaces for kids, but for many caregivers and developmentally or cognitively disabled children and adults, it has become a lifeline.

It features a variety of swings, trampolines, climbing structures and a quiet room filled with soft lighting for sensory needs.

Each feature helps develop a skill or meet a need in some way, like swings that help with balance and vestibular treatment, crash mats and crash pillows for fun, motor planning and strength, sensory toys for improved auditory processing and fine motor skills, and a fine motor and arts and crafts area for improved hand-eye coordination.

Hirsch saw the need in the community, both for his clients who were past high school and needed a place for recreation, and for parents or caregivers who needed a place they could drop off without worrying about their safety or behavior.

We Rock the Spectrum is designed to “create an atmosphere and a place that feels safe for those families and a place where they can get that respite that they need.” The gym “provides children with a fun and motivational environment to help them in the areas of strength, movement, sensory processing, communication, positive behavior modification, social interactions, and self-care skills.”

For the community support Hirsch provides families who use the gym, and the unique offering he brings to the community, Hirsch is the Federal Way Mirror’s Hometown Hero for the month of December.

We Rock the Spectrum gym features a wide variety of activities for climbing, swinging and more. Photos by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

Everyone has something to learn

In both his work as a special education teacher and in how he leads the gym, Hirsch said he focuses on the fact that everyone is working on something, no matter the age, education level or ability.

“Once you’ve learned that everybody wants a friend and everybody has something that they have to learn, that’s all there is to it,” Hirsch told the Mirror, adding that these truths are “the deepest root … if we can find that, I think we can find ways to support each other a lot better than we are now.”

Whether that person is learning how to be safe on a sidewalk, or is a parent learning how to advocate for their child at their school, or a new staff member learning how to work with sensory needs, Hirsch sees it all as deserving the same level of respect and encouragement.

While there are 198 locations of We Rock the Spectrum gyms in 34 states across eight countries, Federal Way is the only location in Washington or neighboring states.

Federal Way is a hub for the developmentally and cognitively disabled community and has long-standing traditions that have been around almost as long as the city. This includes the annual Friendship Theatre production that is put on in partnership with Inclusive Recreation based out of the Federal Way Community Center.

A communication board at We Rock the Spectrum is useful for communicating with visitors who have limited verbal communication skills. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

While these programs are an asset, they don’t offer many children’s programs and aren’t a fit for all adults either.

“My son, being nonverbal and a flight risk, I don’t feel comfortable leaving him with many people or many places,” parent Sarah Johnson told the Mirror. “I feel completely and utterly safe leaving Jordan at the kids gym with Mr. Collins, never an issue, and he just loves it great.”

Johnson’s son Jorn Lawson is an adult, but he’s profoundly developmentally delayed, so the gym is “the only place I’ve ever found that has a level of support that he needs, and we’ve never run into any issues,” Johnson said.

Johnson and Lawson were the first customers when the gym opened, and since then, they’ve gone every week. One of the biggest benefits is the break it gives both of them and the social time he gets with friends there.

Although he’s nonverbal, he is also “such a social guy,” Johnson said.

Hirsch is what makes the gym so special, Johnson said, adding that “he is an amazing human being,” and that he’s especially good with families who have younger children: “I’ve seen him anytime there’s any sort of behavioral issues … anytime there’s any family who has any issues … he’s such a great problem solver.”

She called Hirsch and the gym a “lifesaver” and said that “there’s just nothing that rocks him, there’s just nothing he can’t deal with.”

We Rock the Spectrum gym features a wide variety of activities for climbing, swinging and more. Photos by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

Life skills

The gym contracts with the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) to provide respite to caregivers and in that role, Hirsch helps with one-on-one skill support.

Sometimes working on those individualized skills can look like practicing buying something at a nearby store, practicing sidewalk safety or greetings by checking people in when they arrive, or job skills like using graphic design software to make posters.

He also might help with other life skills, like preparing food or using an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device.

Talking to parents at the gym, you’ll hear over and over about ways that Hirsch has gone out of his way to help guide families on how to support their loved ones with disabilities, or made sure that parents could access the gym even when they couldn’t afford to pay.

Parents Leslie Wilcox and James Crosby have been bringing their 4-year-old Jameson to the gym for about a year and said they’ve seen him grow so much. Wilcox said Hirsch has helped them learn about autism in general and has given them parenting techniques to use.

Colin Hirsch was a special education teacher in Federal Way before opening the We Rock the Spectrum gym in Federal Way.

“He’s so happy all the time now…he never interacted with other kids, now he’s playing with other kids at preschool,” Wilcox said.

In addition to the positive impacts of the gym and the things they’ve learned from Hirsch, they also appreciated his help during a recent hard time when they weren’t able to pay, and Hirsch made sure they didn’t have to miss out on gym time.

While in general use of the gym does cost money, he works with a variety of programs to make sure anyone who needs the space can access it.

One of these financial support programs is through Ben’s Fund, which was founded in by Seahawks General Manager/EVP John Schneider and wife, Traci, in honor of their son.

At We Rock the Spectrum gym in Federal Way, owner Colin Hirsch puts on a variety of inclusive and accessible events, like this visit with Sensory Santa, where attendees can access this classic holiday experience without having to navigate the challenges a mall visit might bring. Courtesy photo