Down Syndrome Association Of Orange County

Our Mission is to create a place for connection, information and hope for people with Down syndrome and their families throughout greater Orange County, to promote Down syndrome awareness through community outreach, and to offer programs, services and support that aim to empower individuals with Down syndrome to reach their full potential.Our Vision is to be a one-stop-shop for all things Down syndrome related, and to be a model organization for community collaboration and Down syndrome awareness, to change perceptions and change lives.

Back in 1978, a group of parents gathered together and formed PROUD, Parents Regional Outreach for Understanding Down Syndrome.  Many of these parents were told to institutionalize their baby with Down syndrome.  Just go home and forget about their child. These parents stood up and said, "NO". They took their babies home, they loved them, introduced them to their family and integrated them into several aspects of their community.  They rallied together and saw a need to provide support and information to families who had, or were expecting, babies with Down syndrome. Realizing the value of this resource, the parents applied for and received tax exempt status in 1980 for PROUD to become a non-profit 501(c)3.Primarily working out of family's homes and having board meetings at kitchen tables, the organization found itself growing in numbers and funding in the late 90's, allowing the acquisition of a small office in Santa Ana. In 2000, the organization hired its first Executive Director. Then, in early 2004 came the new name for the organization - DSAOC, Down Syndrome Association of Orange County. Continuing to grow with support from families and the community, and outgrowing the small office in Santa Ana, DSAOC was fortunate to gain grant support to find a new location.In October 2005, DSAOC opened its doors to the 3,000 square foot Center in Costa Mesa where it is currently located. The DSAOC Center houses an expanding resource library, board room and activity center where a wide range of activities and support groups are held. The organization, which previously focused most of its support on families who had children with Down syndrome between the ages of 0 and 5, has now grown to provide programs, services, resources and activities for all age groups.Currently serving more than 2,000 families in Orange County and surrounding areas, DSAOC also assists educators, health care professionals, researchers and therapists with information, training and support materials. The Center also provides a comprehensive Intern Program and Volunteer Program for High School, College and University students. Affiliated with the National Down Syndrome Society and National Down Syndrome Congress, DSAOC is the only county wide organization dedicated solely to serving greater Orange County's Down syndrome population and their families.

Imagine the joy of finding out a new baby will be joining the family. You can't help it... you start making plans for their future and imagining what they will look like. You wonder what their goals will be in life and you talk to family members about starting that college fund. Then, you receive the news that your baby has Down syndrome. All your dreams come crashing down. What was supposed to be a momentous occasion has now been altered to sadness, devastation and fear of the unknown. Whether parents learn of their baby's diagnosis through prenatal testing, or whether they find out at birth, the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County (DSAOC) is there with support, information and compassion. We remind them that it's okay to grieve, but it's also okay to have plans, hopes, dreams and goals for their child's future, because they will grow up reaching their full potential, and we are here to help them navigate that journey. New parents receive a beautiful Welcome Baby Basket from DSAOC that contains gifts and important 'first year' care information. Our New Parent Support Coordinator connects with the family and offers a trained Parent Mentor who can assist them with navigating their first few years of services for their baby's needs, as well as any support the family and siblings might need. DSAOC has a history of responding to the diverse needs of our community.  From launching a Feeding and Swallowing Therapy Program for children with Down syndrome ages 12-24 months based on the need for additional support, information and tools to aid in the future development of speech, oral motor and nutrition, to collaborating with other local agencies to bring additional supplemental therapies to children with Down syndrome, we work hard to remain connected to the most critical needs so that children with Down syndrome can grow up confident, and able to reach their full potential.  One child that was in the Feeding/Swallowing program had been on a feeding tube since she was born and had spent over a year in other therapies with no success.  Three weeks in our program and her daughter finally took a drink of water and swallowed without aspirating.  Mom feels so empowered with her new skills, understanding and confidence, and is looking forward to the feeding tube removal. Another family wrote about how life changing our supplemental Social Language Speech Therapy Group has been for her daughter. She said that she wanted to thank DSAOC for offering the Social Language Speech Group. Since joining the group, they have seen their daughter, Ellie, go from only communicating through sign language, grunts, and clicks to using two word sentences. As she has realized the power of language, they hear her imitating words more and more. It’s exciting for their entire family to see this growth in her and to watch her personality shine. DSAOC loves working with others and adding additional therapy tools like we did by adding Joey, the Therapy dog, which motivated several participants to be excited and even focus more. Ellie certainly benefited from Joey, and the family is hoping that Ellie can be in a mainstreamed kindergarten class next year, and this hope would not be possible without the growth in her language skills. This program has made an exceedingly important difference in her life. Our Teen/Adult programs also change lives. The programs are focused on social, physical and mental wellness. Families have told us that the social environment alone has increased their child's desire to communicate and express feelings. One of our families wrote that their daughter, Rachel, who was 20 when she first started her involvement with DSAOC and is now 34, is active in public speaking, Television, and performing arts, and due to our follow up with an employer, she is now gainfully employed at an insurance agency and is involved in many activities outside of work. He stated that, in summary, she leads a very full and active life and attributes much of this to her involvement in the many DSAOC programs available. DSAOC created the DSAOC Dads Social and Networking Group after hearing that our dads needed a different type of support environment. This group meets quarterly and recently enjoyed connecting, while having fun at an Axe Throwing activity. Due to concerns parents had about getting the right medical care for their children, and also second opinions by doctors who know about the myriad of health concerns that can affect children with Down syndrome, DSAOC built an alliance with CHOC Children's in 2009 to create the CHOC Children's Down Syndrome Clinic, the first Pediatric Clinic of its kind in Orange County. After several years of financially supporting the clinic, it is now a self-sustaining clinic, serving hundreds of children with Down syndrome annually. We didn't stop there. We also knew the need was great to have an adult clinic that provided the same level of care. In March of 2006, through an alliance with UCI Healthcare, the UCI Adult Down Syndrome Clinic was opened. Since 1978, DSAOC has been committed to families and their loved ones with Down syndrome. We will continue to create positive awareness, educate our community, and provide meaningful programs and services, so all individuals with Down syndrome have opportunities to reach their full potential and are actively included in their communities.

The Down Syndrome Association of Orange County (DSAOC) has been bringing award-winning and meaningful programs, services, activities and events to the greater OC area for more than 4 decades. When the pandemic caused many organizations to close their doors, DSAOC didn't stop. We found ways to use technology to keep our support groups, teen/adult programs, social activities and dances available for our families. We were able to fully re-open in 2023 and since then have continued to offer programs and support groups in a hybrid format. We are thrilled to have this option available for our diverse community, but it adds additional IT needs and on-going expenses to our budget, as well as adding staff time to manage the technical needs of hybrid programming. Your generosity helps us continue offering this hybrid option.
DSAOC continues to work hard to bring programs to our teens/adults with Down syndrome that focus on mental, physical and social well-being. Many of those we serve have suffered some level of regression due to the pandemic lock downs. Many of the children with Down syndrome missed therapy sessions during critical times in their development. DSAOC heard this loud and clear and brought together a wonderful team from Chapman University's Speech/Language Disorders program and started an adult social communications program. Contributions from this campaign will support DSAOC in our efforts to bring in more of our therapy programs and continue to find ways to serve all families, whether in person or virtual.
DSAOC is in need of a new website to better promote our programs, resources and services, and we are also considering a rebranding to keep things fresh and remain a leader for all things Down syndrome related throughout greater Orange County. We know that a website and branding are important in these efforts. It is a goal of ours to refresh our image, which any organization needs that has been around for nearly 50 years, and we want to ensure that our website and marketing materials give an accurate view to our community about who we are, why we are here, how we benefit our community, and how others can get involved. This is an investment, and we would love your support.
Down syndrome births occur in all races and cultures, and we want to continue being ready to serve ALL families. DSAOC is in need of on-going funding to support translation of materials into Spanish and Vietnamese (most common languages) and also to help fund interpreters for seminars and conferences.   
A long-term goal is to acquire a larger space.  We have several waitlists for our programs and are limited on program offerings and program class sizes due to our current space. As we move forward, we will continue to offer our programs in a hybrid format.

The Down Syndrome Association of Orange County serves the greater Orange County area, including portions of Los Angeles, Riverside County and San Diego County.  We do not turn families away if they require support that we are able to provide.  We've had families from all over Southern California attend our support groups, seminars, conferences, activities and events.

The Down Syndrome Association of Orange County was founded by parents of children with Down syndrome more than 47 years ago and is a true grassroots organization that held bake sales and garage sales to earn money to help support new parents and their loved ones. Today, we applaud the founding families' efforts and make them proud as we continue to build upon their legacy of serving our families, individuals with Down syndrome, and other members of our community with meaningful resources, services, programs and support.  The Down Syndrome Association of Orange County is a 'one-stop-shop' for all things Down syndrome related.  We put an emphasis on healthcare because we believe that individuals that grow up healthy have more confidence and are able to actively participate in their community and reach their full potential.  We also created a Down syndrome awareness video series to invite our community into the lives of those with Down syndrome and their families.  This video series, "Community Corner" shares the stories of individuals with Down syndrome and highlights people and organizations making a difference in their lives.  These videos can be viewed on our website at: http://dsaoc.org/community-corner.html. We invite our donors and potential donors to visit our Center and see their dollars at work and the lives they impact and empower. Thank you!

My name is Ruben Rivas. I’m currently serving my second term as President of the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County’s Board of Directors. I have an 14-year-old daughter with Down syndrome and have been serving on the DSAOC Board since she was a year old. DSAOC has been there for me and my family from the beginning and is a wonderful organization that provides necessary support and resources, as well as meaningful programs and services. I am thrilled to be part of a dedicated team that is focused on our Mission and achieving our goals. DSAOC has been serving the greater Orange County community for more than 43 years and we are committed to operational excellence, serving our extended families, and ensuring the longevity of the Association. As Board President, my goals for the organization include extended collaborations with local and national Down syndrome groups and teaming up for the greater good of our community. Future opportunities include an expansion of our programming, physical space, and our overall reach throughout Orange County and beyond. We invite others within our community to join our team!