Welcome to the Willamette Valley Down Syndrome Association. Our goal is to provide support for families in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and surrounding areas, who find themselves in the delightful position of raising a child with Down syndrome. Initially, there are so many questions and concerns you may have when you become parents of a child with Down syndrome - the kind of questions that can only be answered by other parents who have “been there, done that!” – but we also hope to provide information in many other areas. If we can’t answer your questions, hopefully we can point you in the right direction to find those answers!
Upcoming Events
~June~
Thursday, June 18, 2009 - Mom's Meeting in Keizer at Steam Heat at 9am. Steam Heat is located at 3860 River Rd. in Keizer
Join us in a time to meet and connect with other mom's in the
Salem/Keizer area. This is a recurring event that happens on the 3rd
Thursday morning of every month.
Saturday, June 20, 2009 - Karate Class in Keizer at Irelands ATA at 3pm. Join us as Mr Ireland will show the young and old some fun Tae Kwon Do moves. Irelands ATA is located at 3842 River Rd. in Keizer.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - Dr Julie Bingham has been postponed, please watch for further details. Thank you for your patience.
~July~
Thursday, July 16, 2009 - Mom's Meeting in Keizer at Steam Heat at 9am. Steam Heat is located at 3860 River Rd. in Keizer
Join us in a time to meet and connect with other mom's in the
Salem/Keizer area. This is a recurring event that happens on the 3rd
Thursday morning of every month.
Announcements
Wanna be kept in the loop with current WVDSA information?
Please send a email to WVDSA at info@wvdsa.org so we can add your information to our current email address database.
Oregon State University's IMPACT program now offers Online Registration. So if you haven't signed up for IMPACT yet, there is now an easy way to do it. Visit www.hhs.oregonstate.edu/IMPACT Haven't heard of IMPACT? It is a Motor skills fitness program for people with special needs. We encourage you to sign up now, because the waiting list to get into the program can be over 1 year. It's a great time for your child to work on their motor skills and also a great respite for parents.
The National Down Syndrome Congress 2009 Convention will be in Sacramento, California July 31- August 2, 2009. Details are limited right now, but you can check in with their website to receive the most current and up to date info on the convention. www.ndsccenter.org
The Willamette ESD hosts a Friday evening get together for parents and their young children once a month in Salem, Oregon at various locations for children under 5 years old. Please contact your EI Service coordinator to find out the exact date and time.
America the Beautiful - There are now FREE lifetime passes available to people with disabilities to access the National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands. Oregon has several local Federal Recreation Lands, such as the Trails at Opal Creek in the North Santiam area and the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse in Newport, and of course Crater Lake. You need to show proof of the disability, but they can be pretty flexible they want to issue the pass, most of the time if you have the person with a disability with you at the time they will issue a pass. You can call ahead for specific requirements at your local BLM office found at www.blm.gov/or For more information you can call the Salem Office at or the Eugene office at 541-683-6600. This pass WILL not allow free access into state parks.
Check out the ORPTI meetings scheduled for your area by looking at their website. www.orpti.org
