As 2023 come to an end, DSAW encourages you to take a moment to “Think” about the things we are thankful for and how we can support our loved ones with disabilities. We’re looking back and taking this time to feature the accomplishments and abilities of our advocates.
Thanks to generous support from people like you, our friends with disabilities can “Think” about a bright future.
We’re highlighting stories about advocates who are:
- Thinking about Employment
- Thinking about Housing
- Thinking about Support
- Thinking about College
- Thinking about Independence
During this time of gratitude and giving, please consider making a gift to DSAW to support our friends who are so deserving.
Think Ability
A year-end message from Dawn Nuoffer, DSAW President & CEO
Dear Friend,
You can continue to help our friends with Down syndrome, other disabilities, and their families to Think Ability in the New Year. We are looking forward to all of the wonderful things we will do together in 2024!
You may have heard about Think Ability Wisconsin, a statewide partnership network powered by the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin.
The Think Ability Wisconsin initiative will improve transition and employment outcomes for people with disabilities and will improve hiring and retention for employers.
We’ll do this through the development of an online resource center, the creation and expansion of digital learning platforms to teach job skills, the expansion of on-the-job training and placement programs, the expansion of workforce development and wraparound services, the formation of partnerships, targeted awareness campaigns to change perceptions of people with disabilities in the workplace, employer education to increase job access and expectations, and more.
We can’t wait to see how thinking ability will change our state for the better. Exciting things
are coming, and we hope you will join the movement! Follow along with Think Ability Wisconsin on social media: Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram. If you are interested
in receiving email updates from Think Ability Wisconsin or in becoming part of the movement, fill out this form.
When you donate to DSAW, you demonstrate that you Think Ability, and you support others to do the same.
Thank you for supporting abilities for people in Wisconsin in 2023. We can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together in 2024. Happy New Year!
Warmly,
Dawn Nuoffer
President & CEO
Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin
PS - Don’t wait! Consider DSAW in your year-end giving today. There is still time to have your donation matched! Our friends with disabilities need you!
Think Independence
Meet Matt
Matt is a 43 year old young man who enjoys working, having fun, and participating in social and community events. He lives in DeForest (in DSAW’s South Central chapter) with his parents and twin brother. He is very proud and happy when he is working in a job that is right for him, and he enjoys cleaning and helping people. He is very active in his church and loves fishing, 4-wheeling, pontoon rides, bowling, making crafts, mowing grass in the summer months, and snowmobiling in the winter.
Currently, Matt participates in DSAW’s daily living skills twice a week, attends Self Advocate Adventures events and vocational training/job coaching, and is in search of a job right now! DSAW’s HCBS Small Groups provide an opportunity for self-advocates to join together with 2-4 peers and explore their communities and interests! This is a terrific way for them to make wonderful friendships and learn about their communities.
DSAW has provided him something to do during the day while he is in search of a job. Matt’s favorite things at DSAW are the social events through the Self Advocate Adventures program. Programs that DSAW offers help Matt feel social and more connected with his community of friends. He has created wonderful relationships with other self advocates and has become more Independent!
DSAW’s Home & Community-Based Services provides one-on-one services, group classes, small groups, and more for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities like Matt.
Please consider DSAW in your year-end giving. You can support people like Matt to thrive and live an INDEPENDENT life!
Think College
Meet Hendrik Steenepoorte
Hendrik is a 19-year-old freshman attending Shephard’s College in Union Grove, Wisconsin. Shepherds College boasts it’s the “nation's leading post-secondary school created with the learning needs of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in mind.”
Having older siblings that went away to college and several colleges visiting events Hendrik attended, he knew at the beginning of his senior year that he was supposed to visit college campuses. His mother, Maria, arranged for Hendrik to tour several colleges. They decided Shephard’s College was a great fit for Hendrik. Henrik shared he wanted to go to college “to meet new friends, have fun, learn about Culinary Arts as a career and make a difference in the world.” And so far, he has many new friends, is having fun, taking classes in Culinary Arts and has already volunteered at Feed My Starving Children in the community. And he’s only been in college for a few months!
Currently his favorite class behind lunch is called Personal and Professional Development taught by Mr. H. And in his culinary class, he’s learning all kinds of safety protocols around using knives, cleanliness and cooking new healthy and even gluten-free recipes. As part of daily living skills, all students at Shephard’s College learn to prepare meals, grocery shop and make their own for breakfasts and dinners in the dorm kitchens.
In addition to starting college this fall, Hendrik was honored to be chosen the Fox Cities Chapter’s Awareness Walk Ambassador. He got to come home in October for the weekend to attend the event, volunteering at registration, selling raffle tickets and most important on the stage for the start the walk inspiring others in the crowd. Hendrik’s enthusiasm and energy is contagious.
He was even interviewed on TV helping promote our Awareness Walk!
Oh, and by the way, when asked if he is homesick, he replies, “No, never!” We are so excited to see what else is in store for Hendrik’s future.
Think Support
After Nicole Cooper and her husband learned about their daughter's Down syndrome diagnosis
at fifteen weeks pregnant, they needed help processing all the emotions they were feeling. They had amazing family and friend support but there’s no connection that quite compares to talking with another parent that has a child with Down syndrome. Their experience, both at the time of diagnosis and wherever they are in their parenting journey, was immensely helpful being a part of DSAW’s Parents First Call program.
Connecting with another parent who has a child with Down syndrome can be one of the most helpful resources a parent will have; it can help make their journey a little easier and can be comforting to have that connection. DSAW trains Support Parents to provide support to others who have just received a diagnosis.
Nicole really loved that DSAW’s Parent’s First Call staff took the time to ask specific details about what they were looking for in terms of their support parent match. Nicole’s family was just learning about the high potential that their daughter would need heart surgery and so it was important to them that they could ask questions and have that in common with their support parent. They were also first-time parents and wanted to find a family who had been in their shoes. It felt good that their needs and personal story were taken into account to match them with an appropriate support parent, instead of just a random match.
What she learned, felt, and processed with the help of a support parent, she wanted to share with other parents who are just starting their journey. Nicole now is a support parent to other families and offers emotional support when they are ready, which can have such a huge impact on a family’s outcomes and on their loved one’s future. For most families, a Down syndrome diagnosis can bring a range of emotions and can be overwhelming. Another parent who has gone through a similar experience can offer knowledge and support like no one else can. Through making connections in the Down syndrome community, she has learned there is such a range of support each family has and that offering Parent’s First Call to anyone that wants extra support benefits the entire family.
When you make a gift to DSAW, you offer support to families in the moments following their diagnosis. You provide them with the support parent network of DSAW's Parent's First Call program. Will you give that gift of hope to a family this Giving Tuesday? You can even designate your donation to a specific DSAW chapter!
Think Housing
Meet Kathryn Burish and Hannah Rahmanpanah
Kathryn and Hannah are shining a light on living independently and exceeding expectations for people with Down syndrome and other disabilities.
Living independently bolsters your self-esteem and confidence.
Kathryn Burish and Hannah Rahmanpanah have known each other since they were 16 months old! And now, they feel right at home living on their own in Elm Grove - as next-door neighbors. They both moved out when they were 22 years old and have lived independently in their own apartments for the past 5 years.
They each expressed their love of having their own space. They come home and it’s just how they left it. Kathryn works at TJ Maxx with the dream of starting her own fashion line. Hannah works two jobs - Pick n Save in the Floral Department and at a consignment clothing store.
Although they have the support of their families living nearby and sometimes carpooling together with their parents, they each have found ways to be self-sufficient. They take the Elmbrook Senior Taxi service to get places like grocery shopping. They are able to cook, clean, do their own laundry, and entertain friends. When needed they get assistance from mentors and support people for “deep” cleaning and planning meals.
Both young women are on the Advisory Board of the Southeastern Chapter of DSAW and are active with other DSAW groups and activities. Hannah attends Rad Rec events and was recently at our fundraiser at Culvers. Kathryn loves going to DSAW dances and socializing with friends.
Kathryn and Hannah were recently featured on Spectrum News!
They love getting together with friends and having fun! Hannah shared she “likes to do the
things she wants, whenever she wants.” Kathryn said that she wanted her own space when she felt like she was butting heads with her parents. Who hasn’t felt that as a young adult? She lives in a 4 unit building where she knows the other tenants. And Hannah lives in the building right next door. So in essence Kathryn lives in a building with all of her own friends, just like her favorite TV show, “Friends.”
“People with Down syndrome are just like everyone else and having a disability is not scary, “ says Hannah. And Down syndrome does not define who they are and what they deserve.
Being independent for people with Down syndrome is not only possible, Kathryn and Hannah are just a few participants leading by their example. If you want to know more or connect with parents with their young adults living on their own, contact info@dsaw.org. DSAW connects people and families. DSAW shows that people with Down syndrome and other disabilities are exceeding expectations.
With your support, more young adults are being shown what new expectations look like for independence and housing. Think Housing!
Think Employment
You help to support life-changing programs like our Manufacturing Basics course. This is an employer-embedded skills training program within Rely Contract Manufacturing/Engauge Workforce Solutions in Menomonee Falls. This 12-week integrated, on-the-job training program teaches the basic information necessary to start working in manufacturing, as well as soft skills like communication, team work, problem solving, and more.
Did you know that the manufacturing industry in Wisconsin generates $66 billion in economic output and accounts for nearly 19% of the state’s domestic product? However, 77% of manufacturers say they will have ongoing difficulties in attracting and retaining workers into the future. People with disabilities can be great candidates to support the vital manufacturing industry in our state, and we are helping to prepare them!
Wendy Schmidt, DSAW’s Director of Employment Services, says that “Individuals with diverse abilities are often an undervalued, overlooked population of people that are more than capable of being successful in the manufacturing industry. Our hope is to break down the doors and open up more opportunities for those individuals in manufacturers across the state.”
Topics of the Manufacturing Basics course include all aspects of safety, warehousing/distribution, assembly, kitting, packaging, quality control, incident reporting, hazardous materials, hand tools, power tools, time management, critical thinking, dependability, and more! The class exposes students to many different environments and skills, finding the right match for the employer and the worker with a disability. There are opportunities for advanced training or employment placement at completion of the program. Check out this great video highlighting the program!
There are labor shortage and job retention concerns across accessible industries in Wisconsin, and people with disabilities are looking for opportunities for meaningful employment. Hiring a person with a disability isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. Employing people with disabilities can lead to improved bottom lines, higher productivity, higher retention rates, increased employee motivation and morale, and more.
When you make a gift to DSAW on Giving Tuesday (11/28), you help employers, families, and self advocates to Think Employment. You support Wisconsin’s economy and help prepare more people with disabilities for the workforce. Will you show your support of meaningful employment for people with disabilities on Giving Tuesday by making a donation to DSAW? You can even designate your donation to a specific DSAW chapter!
