Peter Whittingham, chair of the board of directors of the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, Linda Smith, and Wayne Newton at the Festival of Trees and Lights gala at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on Nov. 12, 2024

Maximizing Potential

Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada Serves a Unique Population

BY DEBBIE HALL / PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE DOWN SYNDROM ORGANIZATION OF SOUTHERN NEVADA

The Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada (DSOSN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to serving individuals with unique abilities, particularly those diagnosed with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization provides a variety of impactful programs and recreational activities, all of which are offered free of charge to its members.

Peter Whittingham, chair of the board of directors and acting executive director, is the organization’s “volunteer in chief” and a staunch advocate for the Down syndrome community.

“The Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada was founded in 1987 by a group of families looking for target-specific services that addressed the needs of people with Down syndrome in Southern Nevada. There were just a few organizations that provided such services at the time, and these family members came together to create this group of supportive families that have evolved over the years to now become one of the most respected voices of advocacy for people diagnosed with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities in Southern Nevada, and across the state for that matter,” Whittingham explained.

DSOSN aims to address the critical needs of its service population while promoting a positive perception of individuals with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization focuses on maximizing potential by providing programs that enhance self-awareness, self-confidence, and communication skills.

Over the years, membership in the organization and its services have expanded beyond people with Down syndrome to include the entire intellectual and developmental disability community, including those with autism.

“If you look at our service population and our active membership, you will see that it is made up of a mixture of diagnosed disabilities in the intellectual and developmental space. While the majority of our members are diagnosed with Down syndrome, there is a growing number of members who are on the autism spectrum and even some with undiagnosed disabilities. The interest of our organization now is really to advocate for and provide services to address the complex, changing and compelling needs of the members in our community who are diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Whittingham said.

Their programs address what Whittingham calls the organization’s core pillars: education, employment, and independent living. All programs are designed to help members integrate into society in these three areas of their lives.

“The disability community needs to be active, and they need to have entertainment and social programs. All of those are important to us, and that’s why we offer recreational programs such as dance, performing arts, and athletic and sports programs. However, we believe that for our members to be fully integrated and functional in our society, they must also be exposed to what I call the impactful programs that will help them integrate and be a viable part of, as opposed to just being there in a nonfunctional way, on the margins of society,” Whittingham said.

For example, in terms of education and the school system, a number of members did not have a chance to complete high school, and their reading skills were low. To help in a small way to address this issue, DSOSN created a series of programs to supplement what the schools do not cover. Its reading clinic, for example, is designed to help members improve their reading skills and comprehension proficiency.

Verbal communication is important, and their class on self-advocacy public speaking creates an environment where members can learn to express themselves confidently in public.

“Many of our members have been locked out of the digital space for several reasons. Students were sent home to work on the computer when the pandemic occurred. Our members were left out because they had not been exposed to the use of computers. We help our members catch up a little bit with our computer lab class.”

The informal curriculum in the computer lab teaches participants basic computer skills that many people without disabilities take for granted. These include learning key functions, sending an email, attaching a document, writing a letter and sending it by email. Participants are also taught another essential task: accessing information on the internet to educate, inform and entertain themselves like everyone else.
Creative outlets are just as important.

Members are exposed to dance instruction that helps them perform in unison as team members and showcase their unique skills on a stage for their families and others. DSOSN has partnered with Culture Shock to train members in dance.

DSOSN also offers a robust performing arts program featuring two major productions annually. For the last two years, adaptations of “The Wizard of Oz” and, most recently, “The Lion King” have been presented. They are now in production rehearsal for the hit movie and Broadway musical “Grease.”

The organization also addresses early intervention needs with programs for families, especially first-time families with young children from infants to age 6. Music therapy and playgroup programs are offered in conjunction with Nevada Early Intervention Services and Dynamic Music Therapy.

Its art class is one of its most popular classes, attended weekly by at least 20 members, who have shown growth and improvement in their artistic skills.

Members also participate in recreational activities through collaborations with other partners. In some cases, DSOSN does not provide the activities directly but promotes programs offered by other organizations, such as the Miracle League and Special Olympics.

“We have a very active and vibrant recreational training bowling league. We look for different areas of interest and support our members to participate in activities that will enrich all aspects of their lives. All our programs are provided to our members free of charge, except for our dance program, and we subsidize our members’ fees for that particular program. To sustain our ability to provide these programs, we reach out to and encourage philanthropic organizations that support our community to come on board and see what we do, and together we can explore mutually beneficial ways that can help to support our members and our programs.”

DSOSN’s primary source of income is fundraising, especially through its two signature events: the Festival of Trees and Lights (FOTL) and the Las Vegas Buddy Walk.

“The FOTL was our first fundraising effort, started one year after the organization was created in 1987. For the last two years, we have had Gov. Lombardo attend and support our organization. With his support and blessing, we started a wonderful tradition: the annual Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to an individual who has a history of outstanding service to the disability community,” Whittingham said.
Its latest honoree was Linda Smith, one of DSOSN’s founding members, who has been a stalwart in this community, supporting and advocating for the disability community in general and the Down syndrome community in particular for more than 40 years.

“Coming up on March 21, we will be doing a building dedication where we’ll be renaming our building to commemorate the memory of her son, Christopher Smith.”

Buddy Walk is an annual event where people across the valley come together with one voice to unite behind the message of inclusion.

“For all members of the disability community, the message of inclusion carries one meaning. Although we may march behind our respective banners, we all come together, hand-in-hand, to support inclusion for all. We are very rooted in the concept of inclusion,” he added.

What does inclusion mean for the disability community? As Whittingham stated: “It means to acknowledge, accept, appreciate and engage members of our community in conversation so that they can feel included and a part of society. One of the best things you can do for our members is to reach out and engage and involve them in your conversations, and you’ll be surprised at the result of what you will hear when you engage our members in a conversation.

“We are taking a group of our members to the National Down Syndrome Society Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., in April. Members of our dance troupe will perform at the conference. If any of your readers can afford to and would like to make a financial donation toward our members attending the conference, please reach out.”

Whittingham brings his passion and dedication to the organization.

“I serve in the capacity of chair and acting executive director for the organization, all of which is done on a volunteer basis. In order to hold the organization accountable, I demanded that they pay me for my service, and they agreed to do that at a rate of $1 a year. However, they also added a condition to my annual salary: For them to pay me a salary, I must agree to donate my time and at least $1,500 a year to the organization.

“It was the best offer ever, and one that I could not refuse. I have been in law enforcement for more than 40 years, serving three different police departments, and retired from the Los Angeles Police Department as a police captain.

“I have never had a more self-satisfying job, occupation or opportunity to do more public good than I do as the volunteer in chief of the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada. I started volunteering in this community 26 years ago when my daughter, Sophia, was born. After seeing me crying for a month, she started to smile at me, and then I reached out to find a support group in California for the Down syndrome community. My life changed for the better ever since. When I retired from the LAPD and decided to move to Las Vegas, it was natural that I sought out an organization that supported the Down syndrome community. I found the DSOSN, and the rest, as they say, is what you are seeing here now.

“I have now reached my point of self-actualization by becoming a volunteer in a service organization like this. It is absolutely wonderful, and you can only understand the self-satisfaction I feel when you engage in the kind of work that we do here in the DSOSN. I invite anybody interested in serving and giving back to the community to reach out, and let’s discuss how you can be a part of the growth and development of this wonderful organization.”

To contact Peter Whittingham directly, call 626-780-5976 or email pwhittingham@dsosn.org.

For more information about volunteering, donating or upcoming events, visit www.dsosn.org.

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