Leander Police Department held a workshop titled “Special Kids, Hero Parents” to offer resources to parents and guardians of children with disabilities Thursday night.

Community Service Officer J. Kostecka introduced attendees to local organizations that provide services to individuals with different disabilities, including the Center for Autism & Related Disorders, Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center, the Social Security Administration, Bluebonnet Trails Community Services and Leander ISD.

“The idea behind this is awareness,” Kostecka said. “It’s to get you together as a community.”

Communications Supervisor Carlos Montoya, who handles 911 calls, said Leander parents can create a profile on a system called Smart911, including information about any family member’s needs, such as allergies or disabilities. When residents call 911 from their registered cellphones, information from their profiles will become temporarily available to the professionals answering 911, who can utilize the information to better respond to calls.

After Kostecka and Montoya spoke, workshop attendees split into groups to talk about solutions to the challenges they face and connect with representatives from the organizations.

To learn more about Smart911, call Lt. Jackson Mitchell at 512-528-2804.