Manacles and dead bodies dangle from the ceiling, blood is splattered across the floor, and a pirate plunges off the edge of a plank. Treasure chests brim with jewels and severed body parts and cobwebs adorn the halls as the dead captain comes to life.

While not as daunting as the Black Pearl itself, this haunted pirate ship thrilled many Swann Special Care Center, 109 Kenwood Drive, residents and guests on Halloween morning. Volunteer Illini, Circle K, local Kiwanians, Swann Staff and others volunteers made Swann’s 11th annual haunted house for its students who have multiple severe disabilities, including physical and mental impairments.

Participants ranged from young to old, including Swann residents, students from Urbana’s Assist Program, local pre-school children and Page Two, an adult group of disabled people. Circle K’s State Secretary Kathleen Benson, sophomore in ALS, enjoyed the sense of community at the event.

“It’s really nice because everyone (was) involved,” Benson said.

“We got so many nice volunteers that came … I can’t count,” said Leonora Byram, who organized volunteers.

Every year there is a positive turnout, she said. It requires help, two days of set-up, and two months of planning to get the project underway.

“(The volunteers) really do a good job,” said Max Redmond, a Swann staff member who dressed in pirate attire and served cookies at the end of the haunted house. “It’s nice to see (that) interest and dedication,” he said.

The preparation was extremely rewarding for all who joined in. “We really enjoy it,” said Floyd Bundy of the Kiwanians, who are year-round Swann volunteers. The school doesn’t get much funding and they are glad to help, he said.

Rhea Jennings, Circle K president and senior in Business, helped setup the rooms in the house. “I loved the idea of them putting so much effort into something these kids normally don’t get to do, she said. “It shows how much they care … and want to see the smile on (the kids’ faces).”

The event gives Swann students a sense of normalcy.

“Those kids don’t get to experience the things we take advantage of everyday,” Jennings said.

A haunted house provides “inclusion in an activity that other kids do,” Redmond said. “It’s like taking them to the mall and they’re part of whatever is going on there.”

Amy Kuka, Swann Center teacher, said, “They really enjoy the whole sensory experience.”

Vivian Ko, junior in Communications and Illini volunteer, remembers one girl going through the house three times.

“The nurses (who take them through) ask, ‘You want to go again?’ and they nod their heads and smile,” Ko said.

Since many residents are physically handicapped and in wheelchairs, their senses are important for communication. She describes their experience as using a “basic form of them gaining input at their skill level.”

Therefore, the house emphasized physical, visual and auditory experiences.

“In the dark there’s black lights (that act as) visual stimulation (because staff members) wear colors that project more,” Kuka said.

Scary Halloween music echoes in the background as residents make contact with their haunters.

Residents “smile and laugh or giggle and some look around with (their) eye movement,” Kuka said. “One individual would raise their legs and raise their arms (in their wheelchair).”

Redmond recalls another resident’s experience.

“I pushed him through one year and he reacted all the way through,” he said. “He’d clap his hands and stiffen up in his chair. Whether he fully understood it or not, something exciting was happening for him.”

As for those who do recognize the situation, “they are scared, but mostly it’s delightful for them,” Redmond said.

Excessive fear isn’t usually an issue for the residents.

“They’re not as scared as the staff and volunteers,” John Lawrence, head teacher at the Swann Center, said, hinting at the pranks co-workers and volunteers play on each other.

Residents recognize familiar voices, and the set-up is “more fun-oriented,” he said. “You can very much see things coming.”

Precautions are taken. Those easily frightened by sound aren’t taken through.

“Some may cry if they get too scared,” Redmond said. If that occurs, “we just walk them back out,” Lawrence added.

This usually isn’t the case, and most everyone has a valuable experience.

“It’s really great if it brings a smile to (the residents’ faces) for a day,” Benson said.