Save The Date for the 21st Annual DSI Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome Golf Outing on Friday, June 9, 2023 at Eagle Creek Golf Club! Make a donation or Register today at https://dsindiana.org/calendar-of-events/golf/
Here at Down Syndrome Indiana, we believe the attitude of the father becomes the attitude of the family! Down Syndrome Indiana currently hosts the monthly D.A.D.S.® meetings in Indianapolis are NOT a “support group” in the stereotypical mold: church basement, folding chairs, bad coffee in Styrofoam cups. Just as the roles of fathers have changed in our lifetime, D.A.D.S.® addresses the changing roles of fathers in the Down syndrome movement with FELLOWSHIP, ACTION and SUPPORT.
DSI D.A.D.S.® monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM. Contact Chaz Druetzler at dads@dsindiana.org for more information.
Any dad – or grandfather, uncle, brother, teacher, physician – who cares for someone who has Down syndrome, is invited.
“The men I know from DADS are some of the greatest guys I know. I have learned a lot from them and I’ve had a lot of fun with them in the process. The guys, I know from DADS make the journey of having a child with Down syndrome an absolutely awesome experience.” – Mike Byron.
There is research and personal testimony to support a D.A.D.S.® group having a positive impact on responsible fatherhood, a healthy marriage and even economic stability. For example, in 1989, a study conducted by Frey, Fewell, Vadasy and Greenburg in Topics in Early Childhood Education, it was found that in, “Families in which a father has been actively involved in programs of support and resource enrichment concluded the entire family benefits from such participation. Fathers, and mothers, reported improved self-esteem; they experience significantly less stress and sadness. Families believed they had substantially fewer problems in dealing with their child with special needs. There also was a positive effect upon the fathers’ satisfaction with other familial supports. In follow up studies, these benefits appeared to endure over time, even when the father was no longer an active member of the program”. This is so important in the field of disabilities because it is estimated that 90% of marriages that involve a child with a disability end in divorce. That’s why statements like the one below from fathers that are directly involved in D.A.D.S.® are so encouraging…
“Without a doubt, being a part of D.A.D.S. has challenged me to be a better and more involved father and husband, as well as a stronger advocate for my daughter with Down syndrome. Many of the D.A.D.S. members are some of the best friends I have ever had.”
-Kerry Sell
Down Syndrome Indiana’s DSI D.A.D.S.® was the first of over 50 chapters and D.A.D.S.® is our gift to the greater Ds community. DSI helped launch D.A.D.S.® National, who helps other Down syndrome organizations start D.A.D.S.® as a committee or community group. To find out more about the work of D.A.D.S.® National, please visit, www.dadsnational.org.
- To create a network of fathers willing to develop a program based on the needs of the men involved;
- To enhance a fathers knowledge and resources about children and individual with Down syndrome;
- To enhance personal advocacy skills;
- To heighten a family’s ability in coping with the unique challenges of raising a child with Down syndrome;
- To provide a safe atmosphere of support where men can openly share;
- To enhance a man’s inherent nurturing and care-taking skills;
- To have fun and build camaraderie and friendships among fathers.
Can we count on your support to help us build stronger, more involved families?
