Outreach
Rural & Tribal Outreach
These are one and two-day conferences, and are driven in content by the requests of the community. The NDSC utilizes our international network, to assure that we are bringing the very best speakers, medical personnel and leaders in each topic, so that the rural/Tribal community has a meaningful experience. Some of the topics include behavior; transition; technology; medical and dental issues; dietary/nutrition education; self-determination; education; employment; developmental issues; therapies; and, school and community inclusion.
Each attendee/family receives NDSC resources, like our Adult-Sibling Toolkit and/or Family Care Toolkit
The NDSC provided our first Rural Outreach in Bakersfield, California, in the summer of 2018, where we served 125 people in both English and Spanish, including many migrant workers and their families. To date, we’ve also held Summits in West Michigan, NE Indiana, and S. Texas. Although a new program, it has generated overwhelmingly positive reviews, and is gaining traction quickly. We will also be actively pursuing Tribal connections in 2019, seeking to serve their rural, and underserved communities across the country. We anticipate our current requests/locations doubling in the next 12 – 18 months.
California Rural Outreach Presenter
“Nobody else is doing this type of work. Having this available for families brings a new level of support in the Down syndrome community, and in rural areas across the United States."
Parents who attended the Down Syndrome West Michigan Summit
“We had been waiting for this day to get here from the moment we heard about it, and we were not disappointed! Thank you for bringing us these speakers and topics that we might not otherwise get the opportunity to hear. We just didn’t have anything like this available in this area.”
Interested in bringing an Outreach Program to your area? Complete the application.
Find out more about or register for an upcoming Outreach Summit!
Urban Outreach
Although health disparities within rural communities are great, we also want to be able to respond to underserved urban areas in which there exists both cultural, and socio-economic barriers. The NDSC wants to be ready to respond to requests within these areas of the country, and we also hope to work with church and other faith-based communities within urban areas by reaching out with our resources and services. In the future, we will be focusing on improving outreach to urban areas with a similar model to that of our Rural Outreach Program.