Community Resources
Working with the Community
CFAR-DS works with different nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of people living with Down syndrome. You can find information about these organizations and more below.
Pictured in front of the Gillespie Neuroscience Research Facilitiy at UCI (left to right) are NDSS President & CEO Kandi Pickard, CFAR-DS Co-Directors Elizabeth Head and Mark Mapstone, NDSS Chief of Staff Colleen Hatcher, Senior Director of Health Margot Rhondeau with daughter Hannah, and doctoral student Cherie Stringer
The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) is the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome. NDSS envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations, and become valued members of welcoming communities.
Alzheimer's Orange County
Alzheimer’s Orange County
Since 2014, Alzheimer’s Orange County, in collaboration with the UCI Down Syndrome Program at UCI MIND, the Regional Center of Orange County and the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County, has provided an ongoing education and support program to individuals and families living with Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.
Caregiver support groups, training sessions and conferences for families and professionals have been presented with the mission of increasing knowledge, skills, and collaboration to support quality-of-life in persons with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Down Syndrome Achieves
Down Syndrome Achieves
At DSA, our primary mission is to continue advocating for DS research that will change lives. With our DSA Biobank, located at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, researchers can access high-quality, well-annotated, and broadly consented biospecimens to advance discoveries in Down syndrome research. It’s the first biobank of its kind to catalog, store, and openly share donated biosamples from those with Down syndrome and their associated family members. These findings can benefit those living here in the United States and abroad. Researchers and families can visit our website to learn more.
Down Syndrome Association of Orange County
The Down Syndrome Association of Orange County (DSAOC) has been serving families in the Orange County community since 1978. DSAOC’s 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.
GiGi's Playhouse
GiGi’s Playhouse
GiGi’s is the only worldwide network of Down syndrome Achievement Centers; changing lives through free, results-driven programs for individuals of all ages, their families and communities.
UCI CFAR-DS has collaborated with the local Orange County Chapter as well as the Virtual (National) Playhouse to share information regarding the unique ways individuals with Down syndrome are impacted by Alzheimer disease.
You can view a collaborative presentation with GiGi’s Virtual Playhouse on their Vimeo page .
The Matthew Foundation
The Matthew Foundation is a private operating charitable foundation that strives to make a meaningful impact for persons with Down syndrome and developmental disabilities one program at a time. Their current fundings areas are – funding scientists dedicated to improving cognition through memory and learning, creating and supporting programs committed to social inclusion and integration, and encouraging private and public sector employment initiatives.
