It has been about 40 days since the “Safer at Home “ order went into place, asking DSAW and many other businesses to close their doors for the sake of slowing the spread of COVID-19. While our doors may be closed, activity at DSAW is anything but shut down!
Statewide
DSAW Connects: Virtual Class Series
Just one week into quarantine, DSAW launched DSAW Connects: Virtual Class Series and DSAW Connects: DSAW- Fox Cities Virtual Class Series! The majority of our participants are from Southeastern WI, Madison, the Fox Cities, and Central WI, but anyone from across the state is welcome to join us! DSAW seeks to provide structure, socialization, wellness, and normalcy to the participants’ days. Multiple classes are available for free, and we are seeking to expand programming options in order to accommodate an even wider variety of age groups. Classes cover life skills, social skills, wellness and more! Keep reading for more information.
DSAW Webinar Series
Continuing with the theme of online education, DSAW hosted a webinar led by behavior expert Stacy Taylor, MA, B.C.B.A early on in April. 102 people registered for this discussion about the basics of behavior and how to apply behavioral techniques to a variety of real-life situations. The webinar was recorded and will be available in the DSAW Webinar Online Library until May 11th.
Mark your calendars for the upcoming webinars: “Healthy Students with Down Syndrome: All the Medical Updates that Parents & Educators Need to Know” on June 5th and “Advocacy in Wisconsin” on July 15th!
Southeastern WI & MADSS
DSAW Connects: Virtual Class Series
DSAW Connects offers 7 programs for Southeastern WI and the Madison area. Two of the programs have multiple class sections to accommodate participants’ schedules and ages. Some are offered completely free! We are continually working to make our online programming just as accessible and individualized as our “in-house” programming.
DSAW Connects has received awesome feedback from parents. Check out a few select quotes below!
“This is an absolute SAVE for (my daughter)! This is a very positive thing for her mental health (and physical health…yay exercise). DSAW has provided an awesome response in this challenging situation!”
“GREAT JOB!!!” Really is nice knowing (my son) is connecting with friends during this time. Takes a load off of us and we appreciate your efforts!”
Here is what our DSAW Connects friends have been up to in class!
Wellness & Workout
A daily exercise program that helps participants get moving! DSAW Southeastern has explored a variety of workouts throughout the month like yoga and dancing. This class also discusses the benefits of movement, healthy lifestyle habits, and nutrition. More Information
Life Skills & Laughter
This class provides an interactive way to sharpen our everyday life skills, strengthen our brains, and uplift our spirits! The course covers a variety of topics, but has recently discussed environmentalism in preparation for Earth Day! Students shared ways they practice eco-friendly behavior and watched videos about endangered species and recycling! Class content and topics are always changing, but the goal is constantly to increase life skill knowledge! More Information
Creative Corner
Creative Corner is about fun, art, and resourcefulness! The instructor provides participants with information about how to turn household objects into craft projects! One of favorites from this month: paper plate emojis! Too cute! More Information
Stream Team
Stream Team is a fun, virtual hangout for self advocates ages 14+ (younger children should check out TWEEN Stream Team). This is a social hour packed with music, videos, and laughter. Our Southeastern Stream Team loves Disney karaoke parties, virtual talent shows, and watching videos for “Song of the Week.” More Information
Social Skills
This class combines activities, games, and humor to get the group talking! A game our Southeastern group loves is “Would You Rather?” This game allows participants to share their opinions and thoughts in a structured and fun format. More Information
Young Leaders Academy
It’s our Young Leaders Academy course… just online! This class is a continuation of the in-person classes we offer at DSAW’s office (west side) and on the east side, but we welcome new registrants as well! More Information
Parents’ Night In
DSAW is also thinking about how we can support parents and caretakers during this time! We started a virtual meet up called “Parents’ Night In” to provide socialization and community for this important group. Parents’ Night In takes place online every Friday from 8-9 PM and has been very successful so far!
Fox Cities, Green Bay, and Central WI
DSAW expanded the new online programming to the Fox Cities area and beyond! DSAW Connects: DSAW- Fox Cities Virtual Class Series has all of the DSAW Connects content run by the familiar faces from Fox Cities that our families know and love! Just like our Southeastern program, some courses are offered completely free!
See what DSAW- Fox Cities has been up to during their classes!
Wellness & Workout
This is the DSAW-Fox Cities “no couch potato club"!” We try different forms of exercising and movement every morning. One of our favorite sessions this month was a Star Wars themed yoga practice! Brittany the instructor found an awesome yoga video that told the story of Star Wars through a series of yoga poses. It was the perfect workout for this group! More Information
Creative Corner
Creative Corner is a relaxing and fun class that tells participants how to turn household objects (cereal boxes, toilet paper tubes, etc.) into crafts! This month, DSAW- Fox Cities made 3-D flowers out of cardboard, dream catchers, and more! More Information
Stream Team
Stream Team focuses on letting the participants socialize with their peers through a variety of activities! DSAW- Fox Cities loves playing “Would You Rather” and other question-based games. More Information
Life Skills & Laughter
This content-based course has been focused on personal hygiene and self-care during the month of April. The instructors use videos to demonstrate important behaviors like hand-washing and the class has discussions about the daily topics. For this course, the lesson topics change every day! More Information
