LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A Touro University of Nevada graduate student’s class project is expanding to 62 locations across the country and into Mexico, creating a first-of-its-kind curriculum for teens and adults with Down syndrome.
Sara Gudiel, who graduates Monday, June 15, developed a six-week program that helps individuals with Down syndrome build independence during the transition to adulthood. The curriculum began at Gigi’s Playhouse Las Vegas and is now being introduced at Gigi’s Playhouse locations nationwide.
“I’m currently in the field of occupational therapy. I am in my third year,” Gudiel said.
Addressing a critical gap
Justine Chevalier, site manager at Gigi’s Playhouse Las Vegas, said many families face challenges when their children turn 18.
“A lot of these families need extra support, especially when understanding guardianship and medical rights after they turn 18 and they’re aging out of the school system,” Chevalier said.
Gigi’s Playhouse Las Vegas offers occupational therapy and educational programs free of charge. While the organization provides services and space for teens, Chevalier said families often hit a barrier around age 18.
The Empower program
Gudiel’s Empower program focuses on skills including self-care, leisure, nutrition and self-advocacy.
“I had a parent come up to me and say, ‘My daughter usually never comes to me if something is hurting her, or she hurt herself.’ And she actually hurt her hand earlier that day, and she came up to her mom and told her,” Gudiel said.
Chevalier, who has a daughter with Down syndrome, said the program provides needed guidance.
“As a mom, as a parent. I’m raising two independent women, and it’s going to look very different for my oldest daughter as it is for my youngest, who has Down syndrome. But to be able to have a guideline on how to support her where she needs to be supported,” Chevalier said.
National expansion
Gudiel said the program recognizes the full potential of participants.
“These individuals are more than just their diagnosis or what people view them as. They are so much more than that,” she said.
Gudiel already has a job lined up in occupational therapy. She said her time at Gigi’s Playhouse shaped both the program and her future.
Gigi’s Playhouse said the partnership with Touro University of Nevada will continue, with more graduate students expected to join the program next fall.
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