Azza Hassan, who opened The Sensory Club in Austin in January 2025, asked the committee during public communication for help connecting to state and local funding sources so families who cannot afford memberships can use the facility.

“We opened the Sensory Club in January 2025. It is the only recreational space in Austin that is dedicated to families with members with disabilities, and schools and therapists are using it,” Hassan said. She said similar franchises in other states receive membership funding from state and county programs and that, in Austin, she has so far been unable to secure help from Travis or Williamson counties or from the governor’s office.

Hassan asked the committee to refer her to the right funding contacts or programs and to consider whether committee support could help the Sensory Club access state or county resources that pay for adaptive recreation memberships in other jurisdictions. Melinda Crockham of the Governor’s Committee left proclamations for Fair Housing Month and Autism Awareness Month and offered the governor’s committee’s support; the committee also discussed possible sponsorship and partner outreach through local nonprofit organizations.