Santiago Carlos Beunza is a spirited coach, soccer trainer, and contributor to various nonprofit and special needs organizations. In the following article, Santiago Carlos Beunza discusses how life skills programs can empower individuals with special needs.
Life skills encompass everything from handling money to housekeeping to travel to self-awareness to problem solving to job-seeking to appropriate work habits. They are the backbone of functioning independently modern society, but many individuals with additional needs find it harder to grasp them than those who do not have special needs.
To give these people ample opportunities to obtain independence, various organizations throughout the United States of America provide life skills programs. Attending these expert-led groups fosters self-confidence, improved day-to-day functioning, and lifelong friendships.
From the Adult Development Center (ADC) Program to UDS Foundation Adult Enrichment to The Easterseals Florida LEAP Program, individuals with special needs across the nation can access courses that unlock new avenues and increase their quality of life.
Santiago Carlos Beunza on the Adult Development Center Program
Delivered by St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, the Adult Development Center Program aims to increase levels of independence and enhance overall quality of life by providing a variety of opportunities to attendees.
While the ADC Program is conducted in a group setting, the qualified staff offer support on a one-to-one level, tailoring their approaches and focus areas for each individual. Every participant gets the freedom to choose their activity, simultaneously integrating with the community.
Santiago Carlos Beunza says that with a one to four staff-to-consumer ratio, the program is designed to help participants make age-appropriate choices when deciding on leisure activities in the community. The fundamental goal? Making natural support relationships through library visits, museum trips, art classes, or exercise classes.
Currently, the ADC welcomes 100 full-time participants who attend five days a week with profound results.
The Easterseals Florida LEAP Program
Santiago Carlos Beunza explains that an acronym for Life Skills, Employment Readiness, Advocacy, and Participation, the LEAP program provided by Easterseals Florida is an adult day training program for those aged 18 and over with development disabilities. After a one-time registration fee, participants pay per day to attend.
Like the ADC Program, LEAP offers individualized programming and helps members learn community-based job, life, and social skills for effective integration in their neighborhoods. According to the program’s dedicated website, attendees will receive a wealth of experiences, including:
- Unique team building, recreational, and social activities
- Entrepreneurial projects and employability skill-building (e.g., completing job applications, interview techniques, etc.)
- Opportunities to practice leadership
- One-to-one support
- Social, pre-vocational, and daily living skills
- Self-advocacy and goal setting
- Educational, volunteer, and work opportunities in the community
To make it even more accessible, the Easterseals team have set up virtual learning options that cover many of the topics experienced during the in-person sessions.
UDS Foundation Transition School
High school students with disabilities can find the prospect of life afterward daunting. From finding work to living alone to meeting new people, the idea of it can quickly overwhelm.
Santiago Carlos Beunza notes that the key to overcoming these concerns can be found at UDS Foundation Transition School, which offers an extensive curriculum for students with special needs to ensure they flourish and achieve their goals. The staff prepare individuals for the future by giving them the necessary knowledge to find employment, contribute to the community, and find confidence in their own abilities.
Small group settings allow instructors to seamlessly provide one-to-one support, focusing on each attendee’s specific needs. And since the establishment is intended for high school seniors and juniors, the staff coordinate with public school teachers to ensure they assist in helping individuals make their dreams come true.
UDS Foundation Adult Enrichment
Santiago Carlos Beunza says that while the aforementioned program by the UDS Foundation is dedicated to highschoolers, the Adult Enrichment provision focuses on individuals aged over 18.
Participants enjoy a myriad of opportunities to share their talents, acquire life skills, explore the local community, socialize, and learn. Each moment is geared toward individual’s goal and interests, with the team emphasizing the fact they are a community of friends who support one another, share in everybody’s triumphs, and have fun.
Wayne’s Cup Life Skills Program
Santiago Carlos Beunza reports that the team at Wayne’s Cup knows how integral empowering independence in adults with special needs is, as evidenced by their comprehensive Life Skills Program.
Covering a broad range of objectives, the experienced staff understand that many individuals may take longer to grasp some concepts than others. The self-paced course gives participants ownership of their learning journeys, providing further confidence boosts for far greater results.
