Promoting Puerto Rico’s First University Down Syndrome Service Center

Gladys Hernandez

I began volunteering at the University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla (UPRAG) Down Syndrome Center as part of my Ph.D. in Education specialization in Community College Leadership.

UPRAG’s continuing education division began the training and development center for people diagnosed with Down Syndrome and their families a few years ago at the suggestion of a mother of a person with the condition. The director of the division loved the idea and started funding the center and its dance troupe, Quimbamba.

Aside from dance performances, the young people with Down Syndrome enjoy cultural programs and cooking lessons, held on campus three days a week. The programs enable them to demonstrate their talents and earn awards and appreciation.

While they are participating in these activities, their parents attend meetings (such as those of the Down Syndrome Society) or counseling sessions at the center.

UPRAG’s continuing education division has many functions within the center. It identifies nonprofit donations; prepares proposals, calendars, schedules, and agendas for activities; and actively participates at the Down Syndrome Association meetings.

Upon my arrival at the center, lectures for the parents, as well as dancing and cooking lessons, and arts and crafts for the young people with Down Syndrome were already in place. Among many other projects, I have added advanced work training and organized dance performances around Puerto Rico for Quimbamba.

The center is the first of its kind in Puerto Rico. Unlike in the United States, in Puerto Rico, it is not culturally accepted to have family members with disabilities exposed to society. Most of the young people who come to the center are isolated in their homes and are rarely exposed to mainstream society. They are very protected and regardless of their age, are treated as small children.

The center, which is supported by local government and legislative funds, is an example of an excellent partnership among academia, government agencies, the private sector and the community. It also allows people with Down Syndrome to gain self-respect and learn to become independent.

My doctoral practicum efforts have helped the center’s long-term goals come closer to reality. One of my initiatives is developing a work-study program (such as working in a supermarket) to assist the young people with Down Syndrome with their integration into the community. My work-study initiative is still a pilot program, but we hope to have at least three students involved within the next quarter.

Gladys Hernandez is a student in Walden’s Ph.D. in Education program specializing in Community College Leadership. She works for the University of Puerto Rico as a federal grant proposal editor.

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